Ion exchange resin using to separate metals from a lateritic low grade nickel ore.

• Grant number: 14/23374-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2015
• End date: June 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Extractive Metallurgy
• Principal Investigator: Jorge Alberto Soares Tenório
• Grantee: Dennys de Oliveira Abreu
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 15/21230-0 - Nickel separation of a sulfuric liquor from a mining waste using solvent extraction, BE.EP.IC

Abstract

In the last years, the metal content of non-ferrous ores has decreased significantly. This fact has generated the necessity to process ore waste and/or low-grade ores. Ore waste and/or low-grade nickel laterite ore processing involves typical stages as milling, leaching and liquor purification. The nickel separation from cobalt is a topic largely studied, because these metals have similar chemical and physical properties. Then, that separation process is complex. The Solvent extraction technique is a hydrometallurgical method used to separate cobalt from an acid leaching liquor of low-grade nickel laterite ore. However, in cases where metal concentration is low, the solvent extraction is not benefited. Therefore, the ion exchange resin is the most appropriately hydrometallurgical technique, to purify acid liquors from leaching stage. Moreover, selecting the kind of resin to be used is crucial to the success of adopted process. The present work has as objective to evaluate the effect of the resin structure kind in the loading of nickel and cobalt ions. The tests will be carried out using synthetic solutions prepared from the ion concentration of an acid leaching liquor of lateritic nickel ore. In the study will be used the ion exchange resins: DOWEX M4195 e a AMBERLITE IRC 748.