XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3 297
the nickel output compared to conventional nickel process-
ing. Additionally, these processes offer carbon offsets as a
source of revenue. The tailings and laterite carbonation
would mainly generate revenues through carbon offsets,
and it is to be determined whether the former would add
value to the process by extracting additional nickel, whereas
the latter focuses on mainly mitigating the CO2 emissions.
CONCLUSION
Our study demonstrated the potential for CO2 utilization
in nickel processing flowsheets for sulfide and laterite ores,
leveraging the ultramafic geology of the nickel deposits rich
in the required Mg2+, Ca2+ and Fe2+ ions necessary for ex-
situ CO2 mineral sequestration. While technically feasible,
the economic feasibility of integrating such a tandem pro-
cess (CO2 sequestration added to existing industrial pro-
cess) would be dependent on a variety of factors, such as
the cost of CO2 capture in that location, the chemistry of
the process stream in which the captured CO2 has to be
sequestered, and the availability of divalent for mineral car-
bonation. Due to the unavailability of real industrial CO2
capture cost data, predicting the downstream processes’
costs is challenging. However, from the price ranges of vari-
ous CO2 capture and sequestration technologies presented
and based on the year the studies were performed, in the
short term, the commercial feasibility of technology can be
qualitatively predicted in favor of CO2 as a flotation gas
due to its low capex. In the long term, it can be expected
that the carbonation of nickel ore seems the most feasible,
given that it will generate additional nickel revenue, seques-
ter higher amounts of CO2, and require less time for the
reaction.
COMPETING INTERESTS
The authors of this article are employees of Ausenco, an
engineering consultancy that works with the world’s lead-
ing mining and mineral processing companies. Ausenco is
providing decarbonization consulting to Canada Nickel,
Canada, on its Crawford Nickel sulfide project and provid-
ing decarbonization strategies to Alliance Nickel, Australia,
for CO2 sequestration in the processing of ultramafic
nickel laterite ores. The analysis in this study was funded by
Ausenco’s decarbonization practice, which was undertaken
independently of any other organizations.
REFERENCES
Alberta, G. of, 2023. Alberta Carbon Trunk Line [WWW
Document]. URL https://majorprojects.alberta.ca
/details/Alberta-Carbon-Trunk-Line/622 (accessed
11.15.23).
Allen, M., 2021. MINING ENERGY CONSUMPTION
2021 [WWW Document]. URL https://www.ceecthe
future.org/resources/mining-energy-consumption
-2021 (accessed 2.2.24).
Butterworth, P., 2023. Carbon capture economics: Why $200
/tCO2 is the crucial figure [WWW Document]. URL
https://sustainability.crugroup.com/article/carbon
-capture-economics-why-usd-200-per-tco2-is-the
-crucial-figure (accessed 2.2.24).
Canada Nickel Confirms Value of Carbon Storage
Capacity [WWW Document], 2023. Jr. Min.
Netw. URL https://www.juniorminingnetwork.com
/junior-miner-news/press-releases/2768-tsx-venture
/cnc/148724-canada-nickel-announces-successful
-completion-of-carbon-storage-pilot-plant-confirms
-value-of-carbon-storage-capacity-integrated
-feasibility-study-to-be-released-on-october-12-2023.
html (accessed 11.7.23).
Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage -Energy System
[WWW Document]. IEA. URL https://www.iea.org
/energy-system/carbon-capture-utilisation-and-storage
(accessed 1.4.24).
Chizmeshya, A.V.G., McKelvy, M.J., Squires, K.,
Carpenter, R.W., Bearat, H., 2007. A Novel Approach
to Mineral Carbonation: Enhancing Carbonation
While Avoiding Mineral Pretreatment Process Cost.
Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States). doi:
10.2172/924162
Clifford, C., 2021. Carbon capture technology has been
around for decades — here’s why it hasn’t taken off
[WWW Document]. CNBC. URL https://www.cnbc
.com/2021/01/31/carbon-capture-technology.html
(accessed 1.4.24).
Henderson, K., Maksimainen, J., 2020. Here’s how the
mining industry can respond to climate change.
McKinsey.
Hughes, S., Zoelle, A., Woods, M., Henry, S., Homsy,
S., Pidaparti, S., Kuehn, N., Hoffman, H., Forrest,
K., Sheriff, A., Fout, T., Summers, W., Herron, S.,
2022. Cost of Capturing CO2 from Industrial Sources
(No. DOE/NETL-2022/3319). National Energy
Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA,
Morgantown, WV, and Albany, OR (United States).
doi: 10.2172/1887586
Joppa, L., Luers, A., Willmott, E., Friedmann, S.J.,
Hamburg, S.P., Broze, R., 2021. Microsoft’s mil-
lion-tonne CO2-removal purchase—lessons for
net zero. Nature 597, 629–632. doi: 10.1038
/d41586-021-02606-3
the nickel output compared to conventional nickel process-
ing. Additionally, these processes offer carbon offsets as a
source of revenue. The tailings and laterite carbonation
would mainly generate revenues through carbon offsets,
and it is to be determined whether the former would add
value to the process by extracting additional nickel, whereas
the latter focuses on mainly mitigating the CO2 emissions.
CONCLUSION
Our study demonstrated the potential for CO2 utilization
in nickel processing flowsheets for sulfide and laterite ores,
leveraging the ultramafic geology of the nickel deposits rich
in the required Mg2+, Ca2+ and Fe2+ ions necessary for ex-
situ CO2 mineral sequestration. While technically feasible,
the economic feasibility of integrating such a tandem pro-
cess (CO2 sequestration added to existing industrial pro-
cess) would be dependent on a variety of factors, such as
the cost of CO2 capture in that location, the chemistry of
the process stream in which the captured CO2 has to be
sequestered, and the availability of divalent for mineral car-
bonation. Due to the unavailability of real industrial CO2
capture cost data, predicting the downstream processes’
costs is challenging. However, from the price ranges of vari-
ous CO2 capture and sequestration technologies presented
and based on the year the studies were performed, in the
short term, the commercial feasibility of technology can be
qualitatively predicted in favor of CO2 as a flotation gas
due to its low capex. In the long term, it can be expected
that the carbonation of nickel ore seems the most feasible,
given that it will generate additional nickel revenue, seques-
ter higher amounts of CO2, and require less time for the
reaction.
COMPETING INTERESTS
The authors of this article are employees of Ausenco, an
engineering consultancy that works with the world’s lead-
ing mining and mineral processing companies. Ausenco is
providing decarbonization consulting to Canada Nickel,
Canada, on its Crawford Nickel sulfide project and provid-
ing decarbonization strategies to Alliance Nickel, Australia,
for CO2 sequestration in the processing of ultramafic
nickel laterite ores. The analysis in this study was funded by
Ausenco’s decarbonization practice, which was undertaken
independently of any other organizations.
REFERENCES
Alberta, G. of, 2023. Alberta Carbon Trunk Line [WWW
Document]. URL https://majorprojects.alberta.ca
/details/Alberta-Carbon-Trunk-Line/622 (accessed
11.15.23).
Allen, M., 2021. MINING ENERGY CONSUMPTION
2021 [WWW Document]. URL https://www.ceecthe
future.org/resources/mining-energy-consumption
-2021 (accessed 2.2.24).
Butterworth, P., 2023. Carbon capture economics: Why $200
/tCO2 is the crucial figure [WWW Document]. URL
https://sustainability.crugroup.com/article/carbon
-capture-economics-why-usd-200-per-tco2-is-the
-crucial-figure (accessed 2.2.24).
Canada Nickel Confirms Value of Carbon Storage
Capacity [WWW Document], 2023. Jr. Min.
Netw. URL https://www.juniorminingnetwork.com
/junior-miner-news/press-releases/2768-tsx-venture
/cnc/148724-canada-nickel-announces-successful
-completion-of-carbon-storage-pilot-plant-confirms
-value-of-carbon-storage-capacity-integrated
-feasibility-study-to-be-released-on-october-12-2023.
html (accessed 11.7.23).
Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage -Energy System
[WWW Document]. IEA. URL https://www.iea.org
/energy-system/carbon-capture-utilisation-and-storage
(accessed 1.4.24).
Chizmeshya, A.V.G., McKelvy, M.J., Squires, K.,
Carpenter, R.W., Bearat, H., 2007. A Novel Approach
to Mineral Carbonation: Enhancing Carbonation
While Avoiding Mineral Pretreatment Process Cost.
Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States). doi:
10.2172/924162
Clifford, C., 2021. Carbon capture technology has been
around for decades — here’s why it hasn’t taken off
[WWW Document]. CNBC. URL https://www.cnbc
.com/2021/01/31/carbon-capture-technology.html
(accessed 1.4.24).
Henderson, K., Maksimainen, J., 2020. Here’s how the
mining industry can respond to climate change.
McKinsey.
Hughes, S., Zoelle, A., Woods, M., Henry, S., Homsy,
S., Pidaparti, S., Kuehn, N., Hoffman, H., Forrest,
K., Sheriff, A., Fout, T., Summers, W., Herron, S.,
2022. Cost of Capturing CO2 from Industrial Sources
(No. DOE/NETL-2022/3319). National Energy
Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA,
Morgantown, WV, and Albany, OR (United States).
doi: 10.2172/1887586
Joppa, L., Luers, A., Willmott, E., Friedmann, S.J.,
Hamburg, S.P., Broze, R., 2021. Microsoft’s mil-
lion-tonne CO2-removal purchase—lessons for
net zero. Nature 597, 629–632. doi: 10.1038
/d41586-021-02606-3