Extraction of nickel and cobalt from nickeliferous limonitic laterite ore using borax containing slags

The present study proposes a new smelting process for limonitic nickeliferous laterite ore in order to separate nickel and cobalt from the ore and produce a nickel matte at lower smelting temperature compared with the current industrial techniques. The nickel and cobalt recoveries were evaluated at various flux additions. The highest recovery condition for Ni (98% Ni recovery with Ni content of 10 wt%) was achieved with the addition of 27 g of flux (50%Na2CO3 + 35%Na2B4O7·10H2O + 15%SiO2), 0.8 g coke and 5 g elemental sulfur to 25 g of the roasted ore. The above conditions led to achieving 95% Co recovery with 0.06% Co.