TITLE:
Making Ferronickel from Laterite Nickel Ore by Coal-Based Self-Reduction and High Temperature Melting Process
AUTHORS:
Chang Cao, Zhengliang Xue, Hongjuan Duan
KEYWORDS:
Low Grade Latcritic Nickel Ore, Coal-Based Self-Reduction, Ferronickel
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Nonferrous Metallurgy,
Vol.5 No.2,
April
19,
2016
ABSTRACT: Based on the process of coal-based
self-reduction and melting separation at high temperature, it was investigated
that the effect of process factors on the reduction of iron and nickel oxide,
the metal yield and the nickel content in ferronickel about the laterite nickel
ore, was from Philippines and contented low nickel, high iron and aluminum. The
results showed that if the C/O mole ratio was not higher than 0.5 and the
reduction temperature was kept as 1200°C and then increased up to 1500°C,
the metal could not separate from molten slag for the A series of experiments,
which were only added CaF2. However, when the C/O ratio
was added up to 0.6 - 0.8, the metal could separate well from the slag, and the
yields of Fe and Ni increased gradually. But the nickel content in the metal
declined from 1.79% to 1.34%. When the C/O ratio increased to 1.2, and the
temperature of melting products obtained at 1200°C and rose to
1550°C, the separation of metal from slag could not be realized in B
group of tests, which were only added hydrated lime. However, when both of
CaF2 and hydrated lime were added, the metal could
separate from slag in C group. In order to increase the content of nickel in
the metal, it is necessary to restrain the reduction of iron oxide. When the
C/O mole ratio is 0.6, the nickel content of metal could be 1.79%, which was
higher than the theoretical ratio 1.65% of Ni/(Ni + Fe) of the latcritic nickel
ore, but the yield of nickle was only 71.3%.