Separation of nickel and cobalt metal from ammine solution

Claim 1

IN THE HYDROMETALLURGICAL SEPARATION OF SUBSTANTIALLY NICKEL-FREE COBALT METAL POWDER FROM MIXTURES CONTAINING SOLUBLE COMPOUNDS OF BOTH THEREOF, THE STEPS OF: PREPARING THEREFROM AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION CONTAINING DISSOLVED COBALT AND NICKEL VALUES; AT FROM ABOUT 275* F. TO ABOUT 400* F., TREATING THE SOLUTION WITH A NON-SULFIDIZING REDUCING GAS AND A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF COMPLEXFORMING AMMINE TO PRODUCE IN SOLUTION A MOL RATIO OF UNNEUTRALIZED AMMINE TO DISSOLVED COBALT PLUS NICKEL, OF FROM ABOUT 1.5 TO ABOUT 4; WHEREBY NICKEL METAL POWDER IS PRECIPITATED; CONTINUING THE TREATMENT UNTIL PRECIPITATION OF THE NICKEL IS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE; REMOVING NICKEL PRECIPITATE; ADDING TO THE RESIDUAL SOLUTION SUFFICIENT AMMINE TO PRODUCE AN UNNEUTRALIZED AMMINE TO DISSOLVED COBALT RATIO ABOVE ABOUT 4 AND SUBJECTING THE SO ADJUSTED SOLUTION TO FURTHER REDUCTION UNDER A HIGHER AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WHEREBY COBALT IS PRECIPITATED, AND COLLECTING COBALT PRECIPITATE.