36 XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3
• The leach extractions of nickel and cobalt were in the
range of 96–99% in the primary HCl leach.
• The primary neutralization circuit removed iron and
aluminum effectively with minimal co-precipitation
of nickel and cobalt. Batch testing using olivine neu-
tralization removed Fe, Al and Cr to less than 5 mg/L
in the solution.
• The secondary neutralization circuit was effective at
polishing residual iron and aluminum content from
the solution prior to mixed hydroxide precipitation.
• The primary mixed hydroxide precipitation pro-
duced product grading up to 40% Ni on a dry basis
with a calculated Ni recovery of 95%.
• The secondary mixed hydroxide precipitation was
effective at precipitating residual value metals.
• The manganese removal circuit utilizing oxidation
and pH adjustment for precipitation was outstand-
ing in performance with virtually 100% removal of
manganese from solution.
The magnesium precipitation process product was high
grade and low in metallic impurities. The magnesium pre-
cipitation process is dependent on all of the upstream pro-
cesses to produce a suitable precipitate product. The brine
from the magnesium precipitation process was virtually free
of any impurities and suitable as a source of NaCl brine to
proceed to brine softening and chlor-alkali processing to
regenerate HCl and NaOH for the process.
The silica leach residue from batch leaching of sapro-
lite, olivine and asbestos tailing was evaluated as an additive
to cement. The results confirmed that the leach residues
were reactive and suitable for cement making.
The overall recovery of nickel and cobalt from the pro-
cess is expected to be in the range of +95%. The MHP
product is suitable for further post processing to produce
battery material precursor materials to support the rapidly
increasing demand in the electric vehicle space. The magne-
sium hydroxide product from the process is an ideal mate-
rial to support decarbonization.
Importantly, the process has no solid residues. The
leach residue and iron precipitate are used for cement mak-
ing, the MHP goes to battery chemical refining, the man-
ganese product can be used as synthetic chemical MnO2
and the magnesium hydroxide can go to traditional mag-
nesium markets and eventually to various carbon sequestra-
tion processes under development.
Atlas Materials is currently operating an extended
Demonstration Pilot Plant. The Demonstration Pilot Plant
will confirm process chemistry, provide engineering data
for a feasibility study for a 100,000 tonne per annum ore
treatment facility (named Electra) and provide larger sam-
ples of products for off-take evaluation.
CONCLUSIONS
The recovery of nickel and cobalt from natural ores (sulfide
and laterite) must be re-imagined in order to move us to an
electrified low-carbon future.
Three new process developments have been high-
lighted. The CMCSL process offers the potential to use
CO2 as a reagent along with NTA as a ligand to extract
nickel and cobalt from calcined saprolite and limonite
ores. Nickel and cobalt are recovered as mixed sulfide for
further refining. The process is suited to the whole laterite
profile. The medium temperature pressure oxidation pro-
cess for nickel concentrates has been demonstrated to offer
high nickel extraction and recovery and produce a suitable
mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) for refining into bat-
tery metal salts. Lastly, the ATLAS Materials process for
nickel saprolites uses renewable electricity, the chlor-alkali
process and very efficient chloride chemistry to recover
MHP for refining to make battery metal salts.
REFERENCES
Dreisinger, D., Baxter, K., Weidenbach, M., Sully, J.,
Pressure Oxidation of Nickel Concentrates to Prepare
Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate: An Alternate Battery
Supply Chain Feed Source. Proceedings of COM 2023,
Toronto, Canada, METSOC of CIM (Montreal).
International Energy Agency (2022) The Role of Critical
Minerals in Clean Energy Transitions: World Energy
Outlook Special Report. Revised version. URL: https://
www.iea.org/reports/the-role-of-critical-minerals-in
-clean-energy-transitions. Accessed on March 13, 2023.
Kolodynska, D., Chelating Agents of a New Generation
as an Alternative to Conventional Chelators for Heavy
Metal Ions Removal from Different Waste Waters,
Expand. Issues Desalin. (2011) 339–370.
Perrenin, A., &Benotmane, A. (2023). Atlas Saprolite
Process Comparison: Final Report (No. H370678-
0000-100-066-0001). Hatch.
Wang, F., and Dreisinger, D., (2023), An Integrated Process
of CO2 Mineralization and Selective Nickel and Cobalt
Recovery from Olivine and Laterites, Chem Eng, J.,
451 (2023) 139002.
• The leach extractions of nickel and cobalt were in the
range of 96–99% in the primary HCl leach.
• The primary neutralization circuit removed iron and
aluminum effectively with minimal co-precipitation
of nickel and cobalt. Batch testing using olivine neu-
tralization removed Fe, Al and Cr to less than 5 mg/L
in the solution.
• The secondary neutralization circuit was effective at
polishing residual iron and aluminum content from
the solution prior to mixed hydroxide precipitation.
• The primary mixed hydroxide precipitation pro-
duced product grading up to 40% Ni on a dry basis
with a calculated Ni recovery of 95%.
• The secondary mixed hydroxide precipitation was
effective at precipitating residual value metals.
• The manganese removal circuit utilizing oxidation
and pH adjustment for precipitation was outstand-
ing in performance with virtually 100% removal of
manganese from solution.
The magnesium precipitation process product was high
grade and low in metallic impurities. The magnesium pre-
cipitation process is dependent on all of the upstream pro-
cesses to produce a suitable precipitate product. The brine
from the magnesium precipitation process was virtually free
of any impurities and suitable as a source of NaCl brine to
proceed to brine softening and chlor-alkali processing to
regenerate HCl and NaOH for the process.
The silica leach residue from batch leaching of sapro-
lite, olivine and asbestos tailing was evaluated as an additive
to cement. The results confirmed that the leach residues
were reactive and suitable for cement making.
The overall recovery of nickel and cobalt from the pro-
cess is expected to be in the range of +95%. The MHP
product is suitable for further post processing to produce
battery material precursor materials to support the rapidly
increasing demand in the electric vehicle space. The magne-
sium hydroxide product from the process is an ideal mate-
rial to support decarbonization.
Importantly, the process has no solid residues. The
leach residue and iron precipitate are used for cement mak-
ing, the MHP goes to battery chemical refining, the man-
ganese product can be used as synthetic chemical MnO2
and the magnesium hydroxide can go to traditional mag-
nesium markets and eventually to various carbon sequestra-
tion processes under development.
Atlas Materials is currently operating an extended
Demonstration Pilot Plant. The Demonstration Pilot Plant
will confirm process chemistry, provide engineering data
for a feasibility study for a 100,000 tonne per annum ore
treatment facility (named Electra) and provide larger sam-
ples of products for off-take evaluation.
CONCLUSIONS
The recovery of nickel and cobalt from natural ores (sulfide
and laterite) must be re-imagined in order to move us to an
electrified low-carbon future.
Three new process developments have been high-
lighted. The CMCSL process offers the potential to use
CO2 as a reagent along with NTA as a ligand to extract
nickel and cobalt from calcined saprolite and limonite
ores. Nickel and cobalt are recovered as mixed sulfide for
further refining. The process is suited to the whole laterite
profile. The medium temperature pressure oxidation pro-
cess for nickel concentrates has been demonstrated to offer
high nickel extraction and recovery and produce a suitable
mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) for refining into bat-
tery metal salts. Lastly, the ATLAS Materials process for
nickel saprolites uses renewable electricity, the chlor-alkali
process and very efficient chloride chemistry to recover
MHP for refining to make battery metal salts.
REFERENCES
Dreisinger, D., Baxter, K., Weidenbach, M., Sully, J.,
Pressure Oxidation of Nickel Concentrates to Prepare
Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate: An Alternate Battery
Supply Chain Feed Source. Proceedings of COM 2023,
Toronto, Canada, METSOC of CIM (Montreal).
International Energy Agency (2022) The Role of Critical
Minerals in Clean Energy Transitions: World Energy
Outlook Special Report. Revised version. URL: https://
www.iea.org/reports/the-role-of-critical-minerals-in
-clean-energy-transitions. Accessed on March 13, 2023.
Kolodynska, D., Chelating Agents of a New Generation
as an Alternative to Conventional Chelators for Heavy
Metal Ions Removal from Different Waste Waters,
Expand. Issues Desalin. (2011) 339–370.
Perrenin, A., &Benotmane, A. (2023). Atlas Saprolite
Process Comparison: Final Report (No. H370678-
0000-100-066-0001). Hatch.
Wang, F., and Dreisinger, D., (2023), An Integrated Process
of CO2 Mineralization and Selective Nickel and Cobalt
Recovery from Olivine and Laterites, Chem Eng, J.,
451 (2023) 139002.