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By Gheorghe Marin, Franco Chiesa, David Levasseur, Bernard Duchesne

Over the past 20 years, pressure die casting has evolved to a point where structural parts can now be produced by this process. This has been made possible by the development of vacuum die casting and by the development of die-castable, low iron content alloys. This resulted in the production of low porosity, weldable die-cast parts on which heat treatment may be applied. In the present paper, the influence porosities on the tensile properties of as-cast A360 tensile test bars was evaluated. This was done by casting 24 clusters, comprising three 6mm diameter test bars each, in a 280T cold chamber pressure die casting machine after a steady dynamic equilibrium had been reached. Modeling of filling allowed to explain the differences in porosity observed in the 3 samples of a same cluster while the results of solidification modeling were related to the microstructure. Tensile samples were radiographed on a real time X-cube apparatus and separated into 2 lots: samples where no porosity defect were visible and samples with visible defects. By measuring the tensile properties of the 2 lots it was possible to quantify the drop in tensile properties brought about by porosity, which is the most common defect observed in pressure die-cast parts.

Jan 1, 2015

By Claudio Acuña, Sergio Romo, Gerardo Fuentes

The leaching kinetics of a zinc concentrate in autoclave reactors were studied. A sample of concentrate from Bolivia, with typical mineralogical characteristics of the Andes region, was used. A concentrate containing 49% zinc and 145 ppm of silver from Minera Viacha was characterized chemically and mineralogically (atomic absorption, X-ray diffraction, and SEM microscopy) and tested in bench scale reactors. Two types of autoclave batch reactors were used at 40 bars of oxygen pressure and three levels of temperature (150°C, 200°C and 250°C). The solid to solution leaching ratio was 1:10 (10% sulphuric acid concentration). The effect of the particle size of the concentrate on the leaching kinetics was studied (P80: 145 and 45 µm). Iron from the leaching solution was removed by precipitation by increasing the pH in order to generate a clean solution for zinc electrowinning. The zinc solution was used to evaluate the feasibility of cathode production at the laboratory scale. Zinc extractions with higher liberation (P80 = 45 µm) reached up to 98%. Ground concentrate with finer sizes resulted in agglomeration and the use of dispersing agents did not improve slurry mixing. The leaching solution contained 55 g/L zinc and 7 g/L iron; it was purified by precipitating iron. The precipitation was evaluated using sodium hydroxide and ammonium hydroxide. In the first case, a colloidal suspension of ferric salts was formed while in the second case, different iron compounds were precipitated. The precipitate obtained with ammonium hydroxide had better filtering properties. Electrowinning was carried out using two types of cathodes (stainless steel and aluminium) and solutions purified with ammonium hydroxide. Zinc cathodes formed on stainless steel presented a better physical quality than those formed on aluminium.

Jan 1, 2015

By Da-Qiang Cang, Qingde Wang, Wei Wang, Wen-Bin Dai, Min Guo, Yu Li

Utilization of both slag and its heat for hot slag is a great challenge for iron and steel industry. Many methods of hot slag modification for directly converting hot slag into value-added materials were researched in recent years, and waste heat of hot slag could thereby be transformed into inner energy or chemical energy of the materials. In this paper, an experiment of converting hot slag directly into glass ceramics by hot slag modification method was conducted. A cooled modifiers mainly composed of fly ash were firstly heated though a cyclone furnace and then fell into a molten bath to mix with hot steel slag. Half of hot slag was used as raw materials and accordingly about half energy consumption, about 5MJ/kg for melting raw materials was saved in the process compared with that of traditional producing method. Frit quenched from the modified hot slag had a higher basicity of 0.6-0.7 than traditional frits in order to reduce the needed amount of cold modifiers and accordingly utilize more hot slag and its waste heat. Glass ceramics were further prepared from the frit and a heat treatment of one-stage method is more suiter to such frit than that of two-stage method. The glass-ceramics with basicity of 0.6 and heat-treated by one stage method had the best performance with bending strength of 146.46 MPa, Vickers hardness of 6.79 GPa, water absorption rate of below 2% and shrinkage rate of around 10%.

Jan 1, 2015

By G. B. Harris

It has long been appreciated that chloride chemistry has a number of advantages over the more traditional sulphate route for both extracting and separating metals. Modern materials of construction, coupled with the development of a more cost-effective and efficient hydrochloric acid regeneration technology mean that chloride-based processes are now more competitive and attractive. Such processing routes are able to recover more of the contained metal values in a feed, including iron in a benign and/or marketable form, and particularly the so-called rare and rare-earth elements which are increasing in demand in our electronic age. These factors, therefore, add appreciably both to the overall economics of a project, but also offer a much more sustainable approach to our dwindling natural resources. Additionally, chloride-based flowsheets can be much more environmentally-friendly, offering practical alternatives to two of the biggest headaches faced by the industry, namely cyanide usage and the generation of red muds. This paper presents a brief theoretical background, focusing on the latest developments of ferrous iron oxidation and the low-temperature, selective hydrochloric acid regeneration process, which is the key unit operation for any chloride flowsheet, and discusses in general the advantages of the chloride approach. Several recently-developed flowsheets, which have been tested at the miniplant level, are presented for gold, base metals, titaniferous magnetites and lead-silver ores wherein the advantages of considering a chloride approach are highlighted.

Jan 1, 2014

By Biplop Das, E. Herrera, A. Burrows, P. J. Mackey, G. R. F. Alvear Flores

Since the first commercial plant was built at Mount Isa, another twenty ISASMELT™ furnaces have come into commercial operation, and construction of new plants continues. The primary copper ISASMELT™ top submerged lance (TSL) technology continues to attract interest from potential users who seek to smelt productively. In addition to the known benefits of productivity and flexibility, ISASMELT™ operators have also achieved improvements to energy efficiency when switching from their previous technologies. The recent production statistics for operation at Tuticorin, India show that ISASMELT™ has taken the first steps into territory beyond 400,000 t/y (copper cathode basis) and this will likely be the scale chosen by future new copper smelters operating purely on a toll smelting basis. Highly energy-efficient technologies will be expected at these smelters

Jan 1, 2015

By Paul J. Bourassa

Alin de pourvoir aux besoins d'hébergement des quel¬ques 1600 employes qui travailleront dans toutes les spheres opérationnelles de l'exploitation du gisement du Mont-Wright, ainsi que de leurs families, Quebec Cartier a dû, avec l'aide de conseillers reconnus, et /a participation de ses employes résidant a Gagnon, étudier tour les nouveaux établissements résidentiels nordiques des dernières années tout au Canada qui dans lee pays scandinaves afin d'être en position de coneepter une agglomeration moderne répondant a toes les besoins de see future résidants. Les pre¬miers residants ont pu passer Noel 1972, et maintenant les logements prévus et construits sont °coupes a 92%.

Jan 1, 1977

By Tassos Grammatikopoulos, Vladimiros Papangelakis, Douglass Duffy, Cheryl Washer, Srinath Garg

Flotation operations in Sudbury, Ontario, seeking to separate pentlandite and chalcopyrite from mixed sulphide deposits, produce pyrrhotite tailings that have been disposed of in tailings ponds for over 50 years. These reactive tailings are viewed as waste, despite containing ~0.8 wt% Ni, and represent an environmental liability because of their acid mine drainage (AMD) potential. Given the large quantities of pyrrhotite currently stored in Sudbury, and declining ore grades elsewhere, these tailings have shifted from being viewed as a waste to a potential resource. Recent advances in the bioleaching of low-grade sulphide ores have raised the prospect of bioleaching as a potential low-cost processing option. However optimization of this proposed process requires a thorough understanding of the mineralogy of the pyrrhotite tailings that would be leached. The work presented here addresses the characterization of two distinct Sudbury pyrrhotite tailings, namely from the Vale and Glencore operations, using electron microprobe, XRD and QEMSCAN analysis. Particular focus is given to how the mineralogy may affect bioleaching as a processing option, through the deportment of nickel and the various phases present

Jan 1, 2015

By Stanley G. Butcher

"Introduction Many operators in western Canada, with a background in the minerals industry, talk of ""coal beneficiation"", whereas the coal industry generally uses the term ""coal preparation"" . The sophisticated cleaning circuits and thermal drying units found in western Canada makes the term beneficiation particularly appropriate. This chapter uses standard coal preparation terminology(l,2J and assumes general knowledge of coal preparation unit processes and equipment(3,4,5). The geologic setting and mining methods of western Canada, described elsewhere in this volume, present for preparation run-of-mine coals which have particular problems. As a result the cost of preparation is a higher proportion of the total minesite production costs than in other coal fields . Preparation requirements are determined by the types of coals being produced and the markets in which they are sold. Western Canadian coals have a low sulphur content and do not require cleaning on this account. Prepared coal from western Canada has to be shipped vast distances -to the Pacific Rim countries and Ontario in particular -and the savings in transport costs justify the high costs of preparation. Factors which dictate selection and operation of the preparation processes are: i) Market specifications and coal rank. ii) Size distribution of particles and particularly the liability of coal and refuse particles to degrade during handling and processing. iii) Quantity and characteristics of the associated refuse. iv) Washability characteristics (the distribution of particles by specific gravity within each size fraction). v) Surface characteristics of the fines. vi) Variability of the raw coal. Where the product (coal or discard) has a high fines content special consideration must be given to dewatering, the removal of surface moisture, to give acceptable handle ability characteristics. In the severe winter climate of the western foothills and mountains thermal drying is necessary to prevent freezing of washed coal in stockpiles and railcars."

Jan 1, 1985

By T. H. Etsell, P. Kerr

Over the past 50 years, there have been a number of geological, mineralogical and metallurgical studies carried out on the Clear Hills ironstone deposits in northern Alberta, Canada. Due to the low grade and complex mineralogy, previous metallurgical studies have achieved limited success. After rejecting some of the more ‘conventional’ techniques for iron ore beneficiation, the authors chose to investigate the grain enlargement/iron segregation process for the beneficiation of the Clear Hills ironstone. The segregation reactions for iron have not been explored in as much detail as they have for copper and nickel. Iron segregation roasting involves the addition of a carbonaceous reductant and a chloride transport agent to an iron oxide ore, and heating the mixture to an appropriate temperature. The benefit of this process is that it allows ores in which the value minerals are intimately associated with gangue minerals to be processed in circumstances where conventional iron ore processing techniques are not suitable or capable of upgrading the material. As iron is one of the few elements that can be transported through this process, a clean high purity metallic concentrate can be achieved.Through the use of crucible testing followed by Davis tube magnetic separation, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and atomic absorption spectroscopy analysis, characterization of the reaction products has been made with an improved understanding of the reaction mechanism.

Jan 1, 2015

By K. C. Corin, Z. G. Song, J. G. Wiese

In the present study the effect of using different grinding media, viz, ceramic balls, forged steel balls, 15% Cr steel balls, stainless steel and mixture of stainless steel and 15% Cr steel balls (50:50) on the flotation performance of a Platinum Group Mineral (PGM) UG2 ore was investigated. Test work was conducted using a laboratory scale horizontal tumbling mill and a batch flotation cell. Power draw to achieve a specific P80 was determined for each media type. Changes in flotation behaviour were evaluated in terms of particle size distribution, water recovery, solid recovery and valuable mineral recovery. pH, Eh and DO levels were also measured. Grinding products of five different media produced similar solids and water recovery, which is indicative of the froth characteristics, but the grades and recoveries of PGE and chromite were different. The product obtained when using ceramic media showed the best flotation performance, producing the highest PGE recovery and the lowest Cr2O3 recovery. The products obtained when using stainless steel balls (SS) produced the lowest PGE recovery and highest Cr2O3 grade and recovery. The paper proposes possible reasons to explain these observations which may have significant importance for the operation of a PGM concentrator.

Jan 1, 2015

By A. E. M. Warner, A. Vahed, P. J. Mackey

"Since early 2015, the price of nickel has dropped from the region of US$6/pound to current levels of around US$4.60/pound (March 2017), reflecting several market factors, but principally due to lower demand from China. Under such conditions, nickel companies have been under pressure to contain operating costs. In addition, labor and energy costs will continue to rise, while nickel ore grades will likely continue to drop. All major companies now accept the need for climate change action and consequently efforts are being made towards lowering carbon-based emissions. Nevertheless, meeting these challenges can also contribute to higher operating costs without parallel innovative developments - which at the same time, under current conditions, major companies are tending to curtail. In this paper, several productivity improvement opportunities to reduce unit operating costs at nickel sulphide and nickel laterite plants are reviewed. Opportunities include: (a) process technology and energy-type selection, production capability, optimization of process intensity and implementation of newer technologies; (b) improved productivity, equipment availability including maintenance best practice; (c) energy savings and recovery opportunities and use of energy surveys and, (d) process modeling and improved scheduling. Such improvements along with an uptick seen in nickel demand going forward should better position the world nickel industry.INTRODUCTION Nickel is an essential metal to modern society, primarily through its use as an important ingredient in stainless steel. Thus, stainless steel finds vital applications in food preparation facilities, as well as important uses in transportation and industrial applications. Canada has always played an important role in nickel production and nickel metallurgy. In the 1940s and 1950s, Canada supplied over 90% of the world’s nickel. However, this proportion has declined considerably to around 10% of the world nickel supply today. Still, Canada remains an important nickel supplier and contributor to nickel extractive technology. Due to the importance of nickel to society, nickel demand is expected to continually rise. On the other hand, nickel companies have been under pressure to contain production costs amid languishing nickel prices. While demand projections show nickel growth, there are uncertainties in actual levels of future market growth. Ore grades are dropping, while labour and energy costs, which are key cost contributors are rising, hence efforts to lower production costs will generally require innovative approaches."

Jan 1, 2017

By George P. Demopoulos, Yan Zeng, Zhibao Li

Precipitated silica is marketed with a rising demand as reinforcing filler in the rubber industry and as a potential raw material for the synthesis of lithium-ion battery electrodes. Due to an awareness of the environmental impact of the existing processes for the production of precipitated silica, a green and sustainable process was proposed by using sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) as an alternative to sulfuric or hydrochloric acid in the precipitation reaction with sodium silicates. The use of NaHCO3 allows for better control of the supersaturation and pH to form silica with desired quality. Additionally, Na2CO3 solution as the process by-product is recyclable because it could be recovered to produce NaHCO3 by absorbing CO2. The solubility of sodium metasilicate nonahydrate (Na2SiO3·9H2O) in the Na-CO3-HCO3-OH-H2O system was measured using a dynamic method in the temperature range from 288.15 to 308.15 K. It is found that the solubility of Na2SiO3·9H2O decreases with increasing concentration of either Na2CO3 or NaOH over the investigated concentration range. With the aid of the OLI platform, a chemical model for the Na2SiO3-Na-CO3-HCO3-OH system was established with newly obtained interaction parameters of the Bromley-Zemaitis model by regression of experimental solubility data. The new model predicted the solubility of Na2SiO3·9H2O in multi-component systems with good agreement and was used to conduct a preliminary feasibility study of the new process.

Jan 1, 2015

By S. Koski

The Cerro Verde copper-molybdenum porphyry mine, majority owned and operated by Freeport- McMoRan Copper & Gold, is located 30 km southwest of Arequipa Peru. The concentrator, which produces copper and molybdenum concentrates, started operating in late 2006 with a 108,000 tpd design capacity, processing primary sulfide ore (mainly chalcopyrite and molybdenite). Plant capacity was recently increased to 120,000 tpd. The comminution circuit consists of one 60? x 113" primary crusher, four MP-1000 secondary crushers in closed circuit with dry screens, four 2.4m x 1.6m High Pressure Grinding Rolls (HPGRs) in closed circuit with wet screens, and four 7.3m x 11m gearless ball mills in closed circuit with cyclones. The HPGR circuit is fed by the Secondary Crushing circuit product at a T80 of 35 millimeters, and the HPGR circuit product feeds the Ball Mill circuit at a T80 of 3000 microns. This paper describes operating experiences with HPGRs during these first four years highlighting improvements in operating practices and presentation of data regarding operational efficiencies, also discussed are the primary benefits provided by HPGRs such as production of micro fractured particles, reduced ore Bond Work Index, and reduced power consumption. Cerro Verde represents the first installation of HPGRs in both the copper industry and large scale hard rock mining.

Jan 1, 2012

By G. Capobianco

"The coal industry is an important part of Canada's economy - as an energy source, employer, and generator of export earnings. Coal comprises 71% of our fossil energy and with rapidly advancing handling and burning technology will clearly play a major role in our national energy mix, eventually as synthetic gases and liquids.International coal markets are very competitive and Canada is disadvantaged by long rail hauls to port, and a heavy tax burden. However, high mine productivity has allowed us to increase our markets.Currently, domestic markets are dominated by coal use for electrical generation, a market with significant growth opportunities.Strong growth is expected in export thermal markets, while metallurgical coal demand is projected to show little or no growth in the medium term. IntroductionThe coal industry is a vital part of the Canadian energy scene .• Coal supplies 17% of Canada's energy.• On a per capita basis, Albertans use more energy in the form of coal than they do oil and gas.• The value of Canada's exports of coal last year was equal in value to all the cars we imported from Japan.• Coal is our largest single export to our seco nd largest trading partner, Japan.• The value of coal produced in Canada exceeds the value of any other single mineral produced in thi s country.• In Alberta, the safety record for coal mines is on a par with that of department store clerks.• The coal industry employs about 25% of the total number of people employed in all metal mines in Canada, directly and indirectly accounting for about 50 000 jobs.Coal comprises 71% of Canada' s hydrocarbon energy resources on a crude oil equivalent basis . This is more than double our oil sands resource and dwarfs our conventional crude oil and gas resources (Fig. I). In the short term, coal as a solid fuel plays a significant part in the Canadian energy scene. In the longer term, coal, in the form of electricity and eventually liquids and gases, has a tremendous role to play. In 1986, Canada produced 57.8 million tonnes, slightly down from the record high of 60.8 million tonnes in 1985. Our exports in 1986 were 26.0 million tonnes, a growth of 53% in three years."

Jan 1, 1988

By Anton Gronningsater

MR. J. R. GORDON: The authors are to be congratulated for their excellent papers on Copper-Nickel Matte Converting. Mr. Drummond's paper contains the results of a thorough and exhaustive study of a series of converter charges. Mr. Gronningsater has presented convincing arguments in favour of his claim that the converter has been neglected as a smelting machine for ore. Some of us may not be inclined to agree with his conclusions. Converting, like most metallurgical operations, is a compromise between an ideal and a practical operation. If it were possible for one to neglect entirely the matter of converter linings, I believe we would all agree that the proper flux for matte in a converter would be pure quartz. Under such ideal conditions, one would, if proper temperature were maintained, make the smallest quantity of slag containing a minimum of magnetite. Converter slags are notorious for their high metal content and must always be subjected to a further cleaning treatment before being discarded. For that reason, the tonnage of converter slag produced should be minimized. If norite is used as a converter flux, then the tonnage of converter slag would be greatly increased if the silica content is maintained at 27 per cent or higher. I cannot agree with Mr. Gronningsater's suggestion that, in con¬sidering a converter flux, the sum of the silica, alumina, alkaline-earths, and alkalis should be considered as being of value. The alkalis and alkaline-earth contents of the flux will replace iron in the silicates formed and tend to increase the viscosity of the slags. However, if the converter is to be used as a smelting machine, it will be necessary to drop the silica content of the converter slag in order to avoid production of excessive slag tonnages.

Jan 1, 1942

By T. A. Utigard, S. Pedler

Ilmenite from the Everett deposit in Quebec was characterized both chemically and mineralogically. The sample investigated contained the following main components: 40% Fe2O3, 21% TiO2 and 21% SiO2. The ilmenite grains contained about 20 to 25% hematite intergrown blades, with widths ranging from 2 to 30 \u03bcm. Crushing the sample to less than 0.85 mm led to significant liberation of the ilmenite from the gangue minerals. Gravity separation followed by magnetic separation of this size fraction led to a TiO2 concentrate grading of about 30% TiO2, with a recovery of 94%.

Jan 1, 2010

By R. J. Craig

Introduction All mining operations produce rock dust. Inhalation of rock dust, particularly if it has a high silica content, causes silicosis. Silicosis is, therefore, recognized as a hazard of the mining industry and has been made compensable throughout most of Canada. Most of the dust in any mining operation is caused by rock drilling and blasting operations and the movement and transportation of broken rock. Dust from blasting cannot be eliminated, but it can be controlled by means of increased ventilation, the use of water sprays, and the control of blasting hours. Dust from ore movement can be reduced by keeping the broken rock in a moist condition at all times. The dust from the rock drilling operation has been found to be the most difficult to control. Concentrations of dust caused by rock drills in stopes can usually be reduced to the safe minimum of 300 particles per cubic centimeter (p.p.c.c.) by diluting the air with increased ventilation. In development headings, where the machines are more confined, this is not always practicable. Therefore, the dust must be eliminated at its source. This paper deals with the reduction of dust from Leyner machines by adopting improved designs.

Jan 1, 1947

By G. J. Kipouros, W. Judge

"The prevalent metal extraction processes for most reactive metals are fused salt electrolysis and metallothermic reduction. The feed material for both of these processes is the anhydrous chloride of the metal under consideration. Dehydration of the feed material is then a critical step in the production of most reactive metals and requires rigorous thermodynamic analysis. Thermodynamic data for most of the reactive metal chloride hydrates have not been measured. Improper dehydration of the metal chloride may lead to a prohibitive amount of hydroxychloride, oxychloride, and oxide. To prevent hydrolysis a certain pressure of hydrogen chloride is required. An estimation and prediction model is presented for the vapour pressures of reactive metal chloride hydrates in an attempt to deduce the conditions necessary for dehydration to proceed without hydrolysis. Thermodynamic data including heat capacities, standard entropies, and standard enthalpies are estimated/predicted for all conceivable intermediate hydrate compounds. Estimations are based on published data as well as trends proven in similar systems. The thermodynamic estimations and predictions are presented for the magnesium, neodymium, praseodymium, and dysprosium chloride hydrates. INTRODUCTIONThe high reactivity of metals such as the alkalis, alkaline earths, and lanthanides prevents their reduction by traditional pyro- or hydrometallurgy. In their elemental form, these metals are raw materials in the manufacture of intermediate products such as alloys and electronic components. Currently the only two viable metal production methods are fused salt electrolysis and metallothermic reduction. Various feed materials have been proposed for these processes. Using the chloride of the metal as a feed material offers advantages in separation and purity of the final product, as well as lower energy input. Chlorides, however, are hygroscopic and must be dehydrated before use. Improper dehydration will lead to a prohibitive amount of oxychloride which will lower efficiencies and contaminate the final product.Optimum conditions for proper dehydration of MgCl2•6H2O to produce pure MgCl2 without hydrolysis have been calculated from existent thermodynamic data and have been reported previously (Kipouros, 1987; 2001). Calculations were also performed for the case of production of pure anhydrous NdCl3 from NdCl3•6H2O (Roy, 1997)] and the mechanism of dehydration was elucidated. Some thermodynamic studies on the dehydration of chlorides of the rare earths have also been conducted (Sundstrom, 1997; Hong, 1997; Aschcroft, 1968; Haeseler, 1965; Ukraintseya, 1989)."

Jan 1, 2012

By Harold S. King

TWO summers ago I had the privilege of visiting No. 18 colliery at Glace Bay. Underground, we travelled along the haulage-way behind a powerful electric locomotive. The motor in this locomotive began to smoke badly and a carbon tetrachloride type of extinguisher was used several times during the trip. At the time, I noted a strong odour of phosgene. On my return to Sydney, I spoke to Mr. Harold Gordon, Assistant to the General Manager of the Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation, and warned him of the danger of using this type of fire extinguisher in confined spaces, since it is a well known chemical fact that phosgene, a dangerously toxic gas, is formed by the decomposition of carbon tetrachloride. This danger does not seem to be widely recognized, so it seems advisable that a more general warning be published. Attention was first drawn to the danger by the death of two men in the United States Navy Department subsequent to breathing fumes from carbon tetrachloride used in a fire, and when an employee of the Bureau of Mines also was overcome while fighting a fire with carbon tetrachloride liquid. These accidents led to an investigation of the decomposition products of carbon tetrachloride by a group of workers in the Research Laboratory of the Pittsburgh Experimental Station, U.S. Bureau of Mines, the results of which were published in the October, 1920, number of the Journal of the .Franklin Institute (1). Their experiments were conducted by two methods. The first consisted in applying the liquids to actual fires and -to hot metal in a closed room of 1,000 feet capacity, where the gaseous products, mixed with air, could be retained and analyzed. The second method was to pass the vapour:s in air through heated tubes of iron or quartz, where the humidity of the air and the temperature could be controlled.

Jan 1, 1939

By E. Uzun

"In this study, H2SO4 and HCl leaching behaviour of an ore sample containing 1.87% of Ni, obtained from the Karaçam (Eskisehir-Turkey) lateritic deposit that started operation recently was investigated. Acid concentration, temperature and reaction time were investigated as variables by comparative leaching tests and the optimum leaching conditions were selected on teh basis of Ni, Fe, Co and Mg behaviour. For H2SO4 leaching, optimum leach parameters were 95°C, a 12 normal H2SO4 concentration and 90 minutes of reaction time, and under these conditions Ni and Fe dissolutions were 97.6% and 95.4% respectively. On the other hand, 70°C, an 8 normal HCl concentration and a reaction time of 90 minutes were found to be the optimum parameters for HCl leaching, and Ni and Fe dissolutions found were 97.1% and 97.8%, respectively.INTRODUCTION Today, nickel and various nickel compounds are obtained from sulphide and lateritic nickel ores (Moskalyk & Alfantazi, 2002). Even though about 72% of the world's nickel reserves constitute lateritic ores, only about 42% of nickel is produced from these ores. The decrease in production from sulphide deposits, on the other hand, and increases in the use of nickel in the iron and steel, and battery production sectors, and especially the production of nickel cast irons in recent years, have accelerated the importance of making use of lateritic deposits (Luo et. al., 2010; Chang et. al., 2010). In the beneficiation of sulphide nickel ores, mostly pyrometallurgical methods are used. On the other hand, about 39% of lateritic ores are beneficiated by pyrometallurgical, and 61% are beneficiated by hydrometallurgical methods (USGS, 2009). In laterite beneficiation, the ore properties are of significance; that is to say, limonitic ores are eneficiated by high pressure acid leaching or via the Caron process, nontronitic ores are beneficiated by high pressure acid leaching or heat treatment (smelting), and ores containing serpentine by pyrometallurgical methods (Berezowsky, 2004; McDonald & Whittington, 2008a; Dreisinger et. al., 2015)."

Jan 1, 2017