US4125588A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Nickel and magnesia recovery from laterites by low temperature self-sulfation
Assignee: HR LAB Corp A DE CORP
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Filing: 1977-08-01
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Granted: 1978-11-14
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Expires: 1997-08-01
Abstract
Abstract A process for recovering iron, nickel and magnesium metal from low grade nickeliferrous ores is described. This process which requires little energy input comprises the steps of (a) grinding the ore to reduce the particle size of the ore, (b) preparing a slurry of the ground ore in sulfuric acid containing less than ten percent of water, (c) adding water to the acid:ore slurry in an amount which is effective to initiate a sulfation reaction, (d) allowing the sulfation reaction to continue utilizing the heat of the sulfation reaction, whereby water-soluble metal sulfates are formed, (e) leaching the sulfation product with water to extract the water-soluble salts of iron, nickel and magnesium from the insoluble residue, and (f) recovering the nickel, magnesium and iron from the leach solution. The desired metals which are recovered in this manner contain significantly reduced levels of undesirable silica.
Inventors
- 👤 Barry J. Hansen
- 👤 James C. Stensrud
- 👤 Adolfo R. Zambrano
- 👤 Dennis D. Chilcote
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 19:26
CPC Classifications
C; C22; C22B; C22B3/00; C22B3/04; C22B3/06; C22B3/08; C01; C01F; C01F5/00; C01F5/40; C01G; C01G49/00; C01G49/14; C01G53/00; C01G53/10; C22B23/00; C22B23/04; C22B23/0407; C22B23/0415; C22B23/043; C22B26/00; C22B26/20; C22B26/22; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P10/00; Y02P10/20
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
149 words
A process for refining nickeliferrous ores containing large amounts of magnesia and silica and recovering iron, nickel and magnesium containing reduced amounts of silica which comprises the steps of (a) grinding the ore to reduce the particles size of the ore, (b) preparing a slurry of the ground ore in sulfuric acid containing less than ten percent of water, (c) adding water to the acid:ore slurry in an amout which is effective to initiate a sulfation reaction, (d) allowing the sulfation reaction to continue at a temperature of from about 150°-210° C for a period of from about 3 to about 10 minutes utilizing the heat of the sulfation reaction, whereby water-soluble metal sulfates are formed, (e) leaching the sulfation product with water to extract the water-soluble salts of iron, nickel and magnesium from the insoluble residue, and (f) recovering the nickel, magnesium and iron from the leach solution.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
149 words
A process for refining nickeliferrous ores containing large amounts of magnesia and silica and recovering iron, nickel and magnesium containing reduced amounts of silica which comprises the steps of (a) grinding the ore to reduce the particles size of the ore, (b) preparing a slurry of the ground ore in sulfuric acid containing less than ten percent of water, (c) adding water to the acid:ore slurry in an amout which is effective to initiate a sulfation reaction, (d) allowing the sulfation reaction to continue at a temperature of from about 150°-210° C for a period of from about 3 to about 10 minutes utilizing the heat of the sulfation reaction, whereby water-soluble metal sulfates are formed, (e) leaching the sulfation product with water to extract the water-soluble salts of iron, nickel and magnesium from the insoluble residue, and (f) recovering the nickel, magnesium and iron from the leach solution.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
37 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the ore is ground to a particle size of minus 65 mesh and dried to a moisture content of less than 1% prior to formation of the slurry in step (b).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
39 words
The process of claim 2 wherein the ore is dry-groud to a particle size range from minus 65 to minus 100 mesh and heated to reduce the moisture content of the ground ore to less than 0.5% by weight.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the sulfuric acid contains less than 5% of water.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the weight ratio of acid to ore is in the range of from about 1:1 to 1.1:1.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the slurry prepared in step (b) is cooled during formation to prevent the sulfation reaction from beginning during the preparation step.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
41 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the amount of water added in step (c) is sufficient to provide a total moisture content in the slurry of from about 3% to about 40% by weight based on the weight of the ore.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 1 wherein 96% sulfuric acid is used in preparing the slurry in step (b).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the water-soluble metal sulfates formed in step (d) are allowed to age before leaching in step (e).
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1981-11-13 | 1982-05-15 | 1982-11-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1985-11-13 | 1986-05-15 | 1986-11-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1989-11-13 | 1990-05-15 | 1990-11-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |