Recovery of nickel and cobalt from nitrate-based nickel laterite leach solutions using direct solvent extraction

A direct solvent extraction system was developed to recover nickel and cobalt from nitrate-based nickel laterite liquors, as opposed to traditional sulphate-based liquors. The development and optimisation of promising solvent systems is reported, along with a comparison of three potential options to...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Hutton-Ashkenny, Michael Douglas
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Curtin University 2015
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/174
Description
Summary:A direct solvent extraction system was developed to recover nickel and cobalt from nitrate-based nickel laterite liquors, as opposed to traditional sulphate-based liquors. The development and optimisation of promising solvent systems is reported, along with a comparison of three potential options to inform recommendations for commercial applications. Finally, an investigation into the chemical stability of the solvent extraction reagents is detailed to determine if a nitrate-based process affected reagent stability compared to a sulphate-based process.