Thermodynamics of the Reduction Roasting of Nickeliferous Laterite Ores

The global nickel sulphide resources are becoming more difficult to mine and, as a result, there is increasing interest in the current and future development of the oxidic nickel laterite deposits. In comparison to the sulphide ores, the nickel laterites cannot be readily upgraded by conventional means, and growing attention is being focused on the development of new methods for processing these ores. In this paper, firstly, brief overviews of laterite ore mineralogy and the conventional techniques used to extract the nickel from both the limonitic and the saprolitic nickeliferous laterites are provided. Secondly, previous research on the thermodynamic modelling of the reduction of the laterites is discussed. Thirdly, an improved thermodynamic model is used to predict the equilibrium products arising from the solid state reduction of both the limonitic and the saprolitic ores. Based on these thermodynamic predictions, the reduction behaviors of the two ore types are compared in terms of nickel recovery and grade in the ferronickel product. The effects of reduction temperature, ore composition and carbon additions were studied. Finally, the results from the simulations are compared to the experimental data available in the literature.