An improved process for heap leaching of nickeliferous oxidic ores

摘要

A process for the recovery of nickel and cobalt from a nickeliferous oxidic ore byheap leaching, the process including the steps of: a) forming the nickeliferous oxidicore into one or more heaps; b) leaching the ore heap with a leach solution in a leachstep wherein the leach solution includes an acid supplemented hypersaline wateras the lixiviant, the hypersaline water having a total dissolved solids concentrationgreater than 30 g/l; and c) recovering the nickel and cobalt from the resultantheap leachate.