Abstract
Low-grade saprolite nickel laterite, characterized by complicated minerals composition and fine-grained and complex dissemination, was commonly treated with a low recovery efficiency of Ni and Fe by conventional methods. Hence, an improved direct reduction and magnetic separation process was proposed. Meanwhile, the mechanisms on the enhanced growth of the Ni–Fe particles and the phase transformation in the nickel laterite pellets were explored. The low-nickel concentrates as a nucleating agent can obviously decrease the activation energy for growth of Ni–Fe alloy particles during the improved direct reduction process from 197.10 to 154.81 kJ/mol when the low-nickel concentrates were added from 0 to 20%. Hence, it is able to decrease nucleation barrier, induce the growth of Fe–Ni alloy particles and increase their average size. As a result, the size of Ni–Fe particles in the pellets from less than 10 μm grew to more than 20 μm, which is beneficial for the full liberation and recovery of Ni and Fe in subsequent magnetic separation process. Therefore, the preferable Ni–Fe alloy concentrates with 6.44% Ni and 82.48% Fe can be prepared with corresponding recovery rates of 96.90% and 95.92%, respectively, when adding 20% low-nickel concentrates.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
B.K. Reck, V.S. Rotter, J. Ind. Ecol. 16 (2012) 518–528.
N.R. Baddoo, J. Constr. Steel Res. 64 (2008) 1199–1206.
D.Q. Zhu, H.Y. Tian, J. Pan, H. Liao, Z.Q. Guo, Y.X. Xue, J. Iron Steel Res. 32 (2020) 351–362.
D.Q. Zhu, Y. Cui, S. Hapugoda, K. Vining, J. Pan, Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc. China 22 (2012) 907–916.
D.Q. Zhu, Y. Cui, K. Vining, S. Hapugoda, J. Douglas, J. Pan, G.L. Zheng, Int. J. Miner. Process. 106–109 (2012) 1–7.
W. Luo, Q.M. Feng, L.M. Ou, G.F. Zhang, Y.P. Lu, Hydrometallurgy 96 (2009) 171–175.
Y.Y. Zhang, K.K Cui, J. Wang, X.F. Wang, J.M. Qie, Q.Y. Xu, T.H. Qi, Powder Technol. 376 (2020) 496–506.
A. Oxley, N. Barcza, Miner. Eng. 54 (2013) 2–13.
R.D. Laranjo, N.M. Anacleto, J. Iron Steel Res. Int. 25 (2018) 515–523.
J.H. Zhang, L.H. Gao, Z.J. He, X.M. Hou, W.L. Zhan, Q.H. Pang, J. Mater. Res. Technol. 9 (2020) 12223–12235.
X.D. Ma, Z.X. Cui, B.J. Zhao, JOM 68 (2016) 3006–3014.
R.J. Hundermark, L.R. Nelson, JOM 69 (2017) 335–342.
P. Liu, B.K. Li, S.C.P. Cheung, W.Y. Wu, Appl. Therm. Eng. 109 (2016) 542–559.
J.Z. Khoo, N. Haque, G. Woodbridge, R. McDonald, S. Bhattacharya, J. Clean. Prod. 142 (2017) 1765–1777.
W. Rong, B. Li, P. Liu, F. Qi, Energy 138 (2017) 942–953.
L.H. Gao, Z.G. Liu, Y.Z. Pan, Y. Ge, C. Feng, M.S. Chu, J. Tang, Min. Metall. Explor. 36 (2019) 375–384.
L.W. Wang, X.M. Lü, M. Liu, Z.X. You, X.W. Lü, C.G. Bai, Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater. 25 (2017) 744–751.
Y.J. Li, Y.S. Sun, Y.X. Han, P. Gao, Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc. China 23 (2013) 3428–3433.
D.Q. Zhu, L.T. Pan, Z.Q. Guo, J. Pan, F. Zhang, Adv. Powder Technol. 30 (2019) 451–460.
X.H. Tang, R.Z. Liu, L. Yao, Z.J. Ji, Y.T. Zhang, S.Q. Li, Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater. 21 (2014) 955–961.
S. Pintowantoro, F. Abdul, Mater. Trans. 60 (2019) 2245–2254.
X. Jiang, L. He, L. Wang, D.W. Xiang, H.W. An, F.M. Shen, Metall. Mater. Trans. B 51 (2020) 2653–2662.
S. Yuan, W.T. Zhou, Y.J. Li, Y.X. Han, Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc. China 30 (2020) 812–822.
H. Tsuji, ISIJ Int. 52 (2012) 1000–1009.
Y. Kobayashi, H. Todoroki, H. Tsuji, ISIJ Int. 51 (2011) 35–40.
Y.F. Chen, X.M. Lv, Z.D. Pang, X.W. Lv, J. Iron Steel Res. Int. 27 (2020) 1400–1406.
J.C. Dong, Y.G. Wei, S.W. Zhou, B. Li, Y.D. Yang, A. Mclean, JOM 70 (2018) 2365–2377.
Z.Q. Guo, J. Pan, D.Q. Zhu, F. Zhang, JOM 70 (2018) 150–154.
H.Y. Tian, J. Pan, D.Q. Zhu, C.C. Yang, Z.Q. Guo, Y.X. Xue, J. Mater. Res. Technol. 9 (2020) 2578–2589.
M.J. Rao, G.H. Li, T. Jiang, J. Luo, Y.B. Zhang, X.H. Fan, JOM 65 (2013) 1573–1583.
C.M. Sellars, J.A. Whiteman, Met. Sci. 13 (1979) 187–194.
S. Yu, Z. Tao, L.X. Du, Hot Work. Technol. 49 (2020) No. 6, 121–123.
Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by the Youth Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51904347), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51574281) and Innovation-driven Project of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (No. AA18242003). The authors would like to thank the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of Central South University, which supplied us the facilities and funds to fulfill the experiments.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tian, Hy., Guo, Zq., Zhan, Rn. et al. Upgrade of nickel and iron from low-grade nickel laterite by improving direct reduction-magnetic separation process. J. Iron Steel Res. Int. 29, 1164–1175 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42243-021-00646-7
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42243-021-00646-7