QNI Limited cobalt refinery: Process development, installation and operation

摘要

QNI's nickel and cobalt refinery located at Townsville in north-east Australia is capable of processing 3.6 million wet tonnes of lateritic nickel ore each year. Laboratory bench scale and pilot plant studies to produce a high purity cobalt product were conducted in 1990 to 1996. A novel process in which the impurities are eliminated by a combination of solvent extraction and ion exchange resin treatment was patented. A 2,000 tpa nominal capacity cobalt plant was constructed during 1996 and full scale production of QN Cobalt Oxide Hydroxide containing low levels of impurities commenced in 1997.