Qinghai Wet Process A Copper Silicate Lateritic Nickel Ore

Qinghai Hualong owns a typical laterite nickel silicate ore, where the nickel grade is high, the valuable metals includes nickel、copper and cobalt, magnesium oxide content is low, the ores are suitable for hydrometallurgical methods to obtain multi-metal products. Hydrometallurgy process owns the advantages such as low cost, high recovery, large capacity, good selectivity, low pollution and low energy consumption etc. Now, the development of nickel silicate is still a worldwide technical problem, so it is important significant to study the hydrometallurgical processes in the Qinghai Hualong silicate nickel ore, which has important reference value for the rational development and utilization of nickel mines in ChinaIn the process mineringogy study, the chemical elements and phase analysis tell us that the main elements include Ni1.92%.Cu0.38%. Fe13.23%. MgO9.28%. CaO8.16%and SiO241.27%, in which the95.83%Ni exists in the form of nickel silicate. This article selects the processing of pressure leaching-sodium-jarosite-sulfide precipitation to enrich the valuable metal Ni and Cu.The leaching rate of the valuable metals Ni and Cu has been increased, which is90%and92%separately, so is the Ni/Fe, which varies from0.18to0.33. The pressure leaching tests at120℃(202kpa),-100mesh accounts for at least95%, acid loads600kg/t ores, the pulp density increases to40%, and the agitation leaching time is shortened to2h. Sodium-jarosite tests at85～95℃, adds the sodium carbonate dropwise to pH=2.50～2.70and the sodium-jarosite seed, agitates at least2h, the iron removal rate can reach89.77%, while the low loss rate of the nickel and the copper is1.13%and16.25%separately. Add the sodium sulphide dropwise into the solution without iron ion, nNa2s/ncu2+=2.0, test at70℃, agitate at least30min, and we get the copper sulfide copper concentrate, which the copper accounts for41%, the job recovery rate99%. Add the sodium sulphide dropwise to pH=4.10into the solution without copper ion, test at room temperature, and we can get the nickel sulfide nickel concentrate, which the nickel accounts for32%, the job recovery rate98%. A series of conditions for the test proves that the hydrometallurgical processes works for the kind of the nickel-copper lateritic silicate ore, and we can selects the processing of pressure leaching-sodium-jarosite-sulfide precipitation to enrich the valuable metal Ni and Cu. Test at the best experimental conditions, we can obtain a copper sulfide concentrate with Cu39.10%, recovery rate76.51%and a nickel sulphide concentrate with Ni33.95%, recovery rate83.12%.