Nickel recovery from chromite ore

In this study, determination of characterization and recovery of nickel minerals from chromite minerals were investigated. According to the mineralogical studies, the representative ore sample includes chromite, serpentine, talk and avaruite (NiFe) minerals. The sample contains 49.94% Cr₂O₃, 7.49% SiO₂, 7.52% Al₂O ₃, 16.85% Fe₂O₃, 15.78% MgO, 0.20% CaO, 0.08% Na2O, 0.02% K2O, 0.05% TiO2, 0.01% P₂O₅, 0.08% MnO, 885 ppm Ni and 82.1 ppm Co. In experimental studies, leaching method was carried out for the treatment of nickel rich ore sample taken from Muǧla-Turkey. Effects of particle size, H2SO4 concentration, leaching time, solid/liquid ratio and leaching temperature on nickel leaching recoveries were investigated. The optimum leaching conditions were found as particle size is 106 microns, H ₂SO₄ concentration is 120 g/L, leaching time is 2 hours, leaching temperature is 90°C and solid/liquid ratio is 1/10. Under these conditions, 62.8% of Ni was extracted from the ores.