OBJECTIVES

The demand for nickel is rising steadily but the proportion of nickel ores discovered at depth as nickel sulfides is falling and there is limited smelter capacity. Surface deposits of nickel laterite ores are most likely to fill the shortfall with ~75% of the world’s measured nickel resources present in this oxidised form.

Currently, Australian nickel production is dominated by the processing of sulfide ore bodies, but the majority of Australia’s nickel resources are low-grade, marginally-economic lateritic ores. Western Australia is particularly well endowed with nickel laterites, which are characterised by complex mineralogy and require selective mining, pre-treatment and hydrometallurgical processing technologies. Processing plants have been established at Murrin Murrin and Cawse near Kalgoorlie and a new plant is under construction at Ravensthorpe.

This project seeks to provide a better understanding of low-grade, complex nickel laterite and sulfide ores and examine options for physically or chemically processing the ores more efficiently and economically. The work aims to:

• refine methods of quantitatively identifying Australian ore mineralogy and examine options to improve ore quality (beneficiate) prior to processing
  
• identify ways to maximise nickel recovery through a fundamental understanding of the impact of mineralogy on the hydrometallurgical processing of laterite and sulfide ores. The applied studies focus on heap leaching, atmospheric leaching and processing of ores with sulfuric acid in autoclaves at high temperatures.

INDUSTRY BENEFITS

• process options for low-grade, mineralogically-complex nickel laterites and sulfides that currently cannot be processed economically.

RESEARCH TEAM
Dr David Muir (Project Leader)
Dr Goutam Das
Mr Said Hirad
Mr Nick Kelly
Dr Jian Li
Dr Barry Whittington
(CSIRO Minerals)

PROJECT DURATION
2006-2009