The large amount of nickel-iron resources in nickel slag urgently needs to be recycled. In this study, (Ni,Fe)Fe2O4 was prepared by phase reconstruction of the nickel slag by molten oxidation method. The thermodynamic conditions and feasibility of the formation of (Ni,Fe)Fe2O4 during molten oxidation were analyzed by combining thermodynamic calculation and experimental research. The influence of the different NiO contents on the cation distribution and magnetic properties of (Ni,Fe)Fe2O4 was analyzed. Additionally, the mechanism governing Ni incorporation within the (Ni,Fe)Fe2O4 lattice was elucidated. The results show that the sulfide phase and silicate phase of Fe and Ni in the nickel slag were finally transformed into (Ni,Fe)Fe2O4 phase, which was preferentially precipitated during the cooling process. (Ni,Fe)Fe2O4 is formed by the replacement of Fe2+ at the octahedral site in Fe3O4 by Ni2+. As more Fe2+ is replaced by Ni2+, (Ni,Fe)Fe2O4 solid solution exhibits high permeability and low coercivity. The recoveries of Fe and Ni are up to 77.89 % and 80.8 % via the molten oxidation process, respectively. This work not only provided a theoretical foundation for the preparation of (Ni,Fe)Fe2O4 by molten oxidation but also promoted the recovery of valuable metal resources in nickel slag.
Read full abstract