Gaseous reduction of laterite ores

Abstract

Lateritic nickel ores have been reduced under laboratory conditions. The reduction experiments were carried out at temperatures from 500 °C to 1100 °C in a horizontal tube furnace using various mixtures of H2 and CO2. The hydrogen evolution method was used to measure the degree of metallization of the reduced ore. It was found that the rate of reduction was very low at 500 °C but then increased rapidly upon heating the ore to 600 °C. The percent metallics increased with increasing H2 to CO2 ratios in the reducing gas. At temperatures between 600 °C and 1100 °C, a H2 to CO2 ratio of 3 leads to the formation of 5 to 6 pct metallics in the reduced calcine was shown. Heating the ore in air or nitrogen prior to reduction does not affect the degree of metallization. A H2 to CO2 ratio of at least 4 is required to obtain a ferronickel product analyzing 36 pct nickel if no further reduction is carried out during the subsequent smelting operation.