Abstract
Using ferric chloride as an oxidant, here, we investigated the leaching effect of low-nickel matte in a flow field produced by mechanical agitation. The factors affecting a leaching reaction, such as stirring speed, leaching time, low-nickel matte particle size, and inert abrasive quartz sand, were studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), a laser particle size analyzer, optical microscopy (OM), a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with an energy dispersive X-ray detector (EDS), and a Raman spectrometer were used to characterize the materials before and after the leaching reaction. The contents of the main metal ions such as Ni, Cu, and Co in the leaching solution were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Using the control variable method, the optimal experimental conditions were as follows: 2 mol/L FeCl3—0.5 mol/L HCl-H2O system with low-nickel matte and quartz sand (mass ratio is 1:5) and leaching at 90 °C for 8 h. The results showed that the blocking effect of the solid product sulfur layer was effectively removed and continuous leaching was realized. The leaching efficiencies of Ni, Cu, and Co were 98.9%, 99.3%, and 98.1%, respectively.
Highlights
Nickel is an important strategic base material which has been widely used in the fields of superalloys, stainless steel, electroplating, batteries, catalytic materials, and magnetic materials due to its excellent properties [1]
The elemental composition of the samples was determined by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), Minerals 2021, 11, 1219 and the phases of the samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD)
The elemental rate of 6 °/min, target voltage of 40 kV, and tube current of 40 mA; X-ray fluorescence composition of the samples was determined by XRF
Summary
Nickel is an important strategic base material which has been widely used in the fields of superalloys, stainless steel, electroplating, batteries, catalytic materials, and magnetic materials due to its excellent properties [1]. As an intermediate product of the pyrometallurgical nickel metallurgy process, low-nickel matte is a mixed sulfide system containing nickel, copper, cobalt, and iron, which is obtained by removing most gangue from nickel sulfide concentrate by flash furnace or electric furnace smelting [5]. Some studies have attempted to take low-nickel matte as the terminal product of nickel pyrometallurgy and have used it directly in the hydrometallurgical process, which can effectively reduce the loss of valuable elements such as cobalt, copper, and nickel caused by oxygen-enriched blowing and can reduce the environmental pollution caused by the emission of SO2 [12,13,14]
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