Leaching of magnesium from desiliconization slag of nickel laterite ores by carbonation process

The leaching of magnesium from desiliconization slag of nickel laterite ores by carbonation process was studied. The influence of various parameters was investigated to optimize the conditions and determine the kinetics of the reaction. The results show that with increasing stirring speed, liquid-to-solid ratio and reaction time, and decreasing temperature, the leaching rate of magnesium enhances. The leaching process of the desiliconization slag in the range of 288–298 K is controlled by the surface chemical reaction model. The apparent activation energy is −20.45 kJ/mol, and the kinetics model is obtained.