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Extraction of metals from complex sulfide nickel concentrates by low-temperature chlorination roasting and water leaching

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Abstract

The recovery of valuable metals from complex sulfide concentrates was investigated via chlorination roasting followed by water leaching. A reaction process is proposed on the basis of previous studies and the results of our preliminary experiments. During the process, various process parameters were studied, including the roasting temperature, the addition of NH4Cl, the roasting time, the leaching time, and the liquid-to-solid ratio. The roasted products and leach residues were characterized by X-ray diffraction and vibrational spectroscopy. Under the optimum condition, 95% of Ni, 98% of Cu, and 88% of Co were recovered. In addition, the removal of iron was studied in the water leaching stage. The results demonstrate that this process provides an effective approach for extracting multiple metals from complex concentrates or ores.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Key Basic Research Program of China (No. 2014CB643403) and the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (No. 51225401).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Special Steel & School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200072, China

    Cong Xu, Hong-wei Cheng, Guang-shi Li, Chang-yuan Lu, Xiong-gang Lu, Xing-li Zou & Qian Xu

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  1. Cong Xu
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  2. Hong-wei Cheng
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  3. Guang-shi Li
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Correspondence to Hong-wei Cheng.

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Xu, C., Cheng, Hw., Li, Gs. et al. Extraction of metals from complex sulfide nickel concentrates by low-temperature chlorination roasting and water leaching. Int J Miner Metall Mater 24, 377–385 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-017-1417-2

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