ACID LEACHING OF NICKEL LATERITES WITH JAROSITE PRECIPITATION

摘要

Alkali addition for iron precipitation, associated with sulfuric acid leaching of nickel laterites, has been considered periodically since the late 1960s, shortly after the development of the jarosite process for iron control in zinc refining. In the late 1990's a series of flowsheets were proposed and tested involving simultaneous atmospheric leaching, iron precipitation and acid regeneration. These were considered particularly suited to sequential leaching of limonite and saprolite ores. A number of laterite sulfuric acid leaching processes utilising this chemistry have been put into commercial operation.