Investigating the behavior of iron solid products during direct acid leaching of limonitic laterites
- Univ. of Toronto, Ontario (Canada). Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry
Direct sulfuric acid leaching of nickeliferous limonites is the process of choice to recover nickel and cobalt from equatorially located lateritic ores. These ores are rich-in-iron ({approximately} 45 wt.%) existing in the form of goethite enriched with nickel. The merit of this process is due to its high nickel selectivity because of simultaneous iron separation and acid regeneration. Under acid leaching conditions ({approximately} 250 to 270 C) iron follows an acid dissolution-hydrolytic precipitation path yielding a very low concentration level depending on temperature and acidity of the final leach liquor. The primary precipitation product of iron is hematite which also forms as a scale on reactor internals along with co-existing aluminum. In this paper, an overview of the behavior of iron solid products under process conditions is made. The evolution of goethite to hematite transformation, as well as the role of iron in reactor scale production, are studied using SEM/EDX characterization techniques.
- OSTI ID:
- 78168
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950201-; ISBN 0-87339-279-5; TRN: IM9531%%219
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Annual meeting and exhibition of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS), Las Vegas, NV (United States), 12-16 Feb 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Separation processes: Heavy metals, ions and minerals; Misra, M. [ed.] [Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States)]; PB: 302 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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