Preparing Ferro-Nickel Alloy from Low-Grade Laterite Nickel Ore Based on Metallized Reduction–Magnetic Separation
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Experiment
2.1. Raw Materials
2.2. Experimental Procedure
2.3. Thermodynamic Analysis
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Effects of Reduction Temperature
3.2. Effects of Reduction Time
3.3. Effects of Carbon Ratio
3.4. Effects of CaO Addition
3.5. Function Mechanism of Adding CaO
3.6. Characterization of Magnetic Product
4. Conclusions
- (1)
- The ferro-nickel alloy was prepared successfully from low-grade saprolitic laterite ore using a process of metallized reduction–magnetic separation.
- (2)
- The results indicated that, under the optimal process parameters of reduction temperature 1350 °C, reduction time 2 h, carbon ratio 1.2, and CaO addition ratio 10%, the nickel and iron grades in the magnetic product were 7.90% and 77.32%, respectively. Meanwhile, the nickel and iron recoveries were 89.36% and 95.87%, which reached high efficiency recovery of nickel and iron.
- (3)
- The appropriate amount of CaO contributed to liquid generation and slag viscosity. The conditions with a liquid generation ratio of 95% and a viscosity of slag 2–6 Pa·s at a reduction temperature of 1350 °C and CaO addition of 10% could favor the aggregation and growing up of ferro-nickel particles and improve recoveries of nickel and iron.
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Element | TFe | FeO | Ni | CaO | SiO2 | MgO | Al2O3 | Cr2O3 | P | S |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Content | 19.57 | 0.21 | 1.82 | 0.09 | 34.78 | 12.98 | 4.00 | 1.40 | 0.003 | 0.028 |
Item | Fixed Carbon | Ash | Volatile | Total Sulfur | Moisture | Ash | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CaO | SiO2 | MgO | Al2O3 | ||||||
Content | 60.86 | 8.19 | 30.45 | 0.14 | 0.5 | 2.95 | 51.91 | 1.08 | 29.97 |
Item | Parameter | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reduction temperature (°C) | 1300 | 1325 | 1350 | 1375 | 1400 |
Redution time (h) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Carbon ratio | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.6 | - |
CaO addition (%) | 5 | 7.5 | 10 | 12.5 | 15 |
Element | TFe | Ni | C | P | S |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Content | 77.32 | 7.90 | 2.50 | 0.002 | 0.056 |
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Wang, Z.; Chu, M.; Liu, Z.; Wang, H.; Zhao, W.; Gao, L. Preparing Ferro-Nickel Alloy from Low-Grade Laterite Nickel Ore Based on Metallized Reduction–Magnetic Separation. Metals 2017, 7, 313. https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080313
Wang Z, Chu M, Liu Z, Wang H, Zhao W, Gao L. Preparing Ferro-Nickel Alloy from Low-Grade Laterite Nickel Ore Based on Metallized Reduction–Magnetic Separation. Metals. 2017; 7(8):313. https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080313
Chicago/Turabian StyleWang, Zhihao, Mansheng Chu, Zhenggen Liu, Hongtao Wang, Wei Zhao, and Lihua Gao. 2017. "Preparing Ferro-Nickel Alloy from Low-Grade Laterite Nickel Ore Based on Metallized Reduction–Magnetic Separation" Metals 7, no. 8: 313. https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080313