Sulphuric-Acid Leaching of Ural Oxidized Nickel Ore with Sodium Sulfite and Fluoride Additives

Abstract

The process of leaching oxidized nickel ore in sulphuric acid with the additives of sodium sulfite and fluoride is investigated. Tochilnogorsky deposit ore (Sverdlovsk Region) is used to prove theoretically and experimentally efficient application of fluoride in dissociation of nickel minerals (nontronite and garnierite) in oxidized nickel ore. It is shown that at NaF consumption of 10 kg/t, it is possible to enhance maximum extraction of nickel to solution from 82.3–86.9 to 96.0–98.7% at the residual sulphuric acid concentration of 10–20 g/l in the working bath. It is found that the sodium fluoride additives lower the process activation energy from 22.8 to 12.9 kJ/mole. This means that the reaction of sulphuric-acid leaching proceeds in diffusion–kinetic mode and that sodium fluoride is applicable as the leaching accelerator.