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Pilot plant processing of ammoniacal nickel leach liquor for the recovery of nickel using LIX 64N

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Abstract

A process for the recovery of nickel from ammoniacal leach liquor through an integrated solvent extraction-electrowinning (SX-EW) flowsheet was tested on a pilot-plant scale. The objectives of the test run were to assess the reproducibility of laboratory-scale data in a large-scale continuous operation and to study the build up of impurities in the system. The pilot-plant test was conducted under operating conditions that were established from the laboratory-scale experiments. Efficiencies of nickel extraction, nickel stripping and ammonia scrubbing were comparable to the laboratory-scale values, whereas the current efficiency during nickel electrolysis was observed to be less than the laboratory-scale values. The electrodeposited nickel contained some cobalt and iron impurities.

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Nonmeeting paper 96-636.

Discussion of this peer-reviewed and approved paper is invited and must be submitted to SME prior to Feb. 28, 1998.

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Rao, K.S., Rath, P.C. & Subbaiah, T. Pilot plant processing of ammoniacal nickel leach liquor for the recovery of nickel using LIX 64N. Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration 14, 8–12 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03402772

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03402772

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