Nickel hydrometallurgy

Compared to 352 local female construction workers in which the spontaneous abortion rate was 8.5%, an increase in spontaneous abortions to 15.9% was observed among 356 women who worked in a nickel hydrometallurgy refining plant in the arctic region of Russia (Chashschin et al. 1994). Exposure concentrations were 0.08-0.196 mg nickel/m, primarily as nickel sulfate, and nickel concentrations in the urine were 3.2-22.6 pg/L. Nickel levels in the urine of persons not occupationally exposed are generally <0.1-13.3 pg/L (Sunderman 1993). The investigators noted that the nickel-exposed women manually lifted heavy nickel anodes and that they may have experienced heat stress. 

Reproductive Toxicity. An increase in the abortion rate has been reported among women who worked in a nickel hydrometallurgy refining plant in the arctic region of Russia (Chashschin et al. 

The liquid-liquid extraction (solvent extraction) process was developed about 50 years ago and has found wide application in the hydrometallurgy of rare refractory and rare earth metals. Liquid-liquid extraction is used successfully for the separation of problematic pairs of metals such as niobium and tantalum, zirconium and hafnium, cobalt and nickel etc. Moreover, liquid-liquid extraction is the only method available for the separation of rare earth group elements to obtain individual metals. 

B. Benson and N. Colvin, Plant Practice in the Production of Nickel by Hydrogen Reduction, in Unit Processes in Hydrometallurgy, p. 735, Gordon and Breach, New York, 1964. 

Chalkley, M. E. Toirac, I. L. The acid pressure leach process for nickel and cobalt laterite. Part I review of operations at Moa. Hydrometallurgy and Refining of Nickel and Cohalt, Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting of CIM, 27th, Sudbury, Ont., Aug. 17-20, 1997, 341-353. 

Das, G. K. Acharya, S. Anand, S. Das, R. P. Acid pressure leaching of nickel-containing chromite over burden in the presence of additives. Hydrometallurgy 1995, 39, 117-128. 

Rubisov, D. H. Krowinkel, J. M. Papangelakis, V. G. Sulphuric acid pressure leaching of laterites—universal kinetics of nickel dissolution for limonites and limonitic/saprolitic blends. Hydrometallurgy 2000, 58, 1-11. 

Parija, C. Sarnia, P. Separation of nickel and copper from ammoniacal solutions through co-extraction and selective stripping using LIX84 as the extractant. Hydrometallurgy 2000, 54, 195-204. 

Preston, J. S. du Preez, A. C. Separation of nickel and calcium by solvent extraction using mixtures of carboxylic acids and alkylpyridines. Hydrometallurgy 2000, 58, 239-250. 

Reddy, B. R. Parija, C. Sarnia, P. Processing of solutions containing nickel and ammonium sulphate through solvent extraction using PC-88A. Hydrometallurgy 1999, 53, 11-17. 

Sarangi, K. Reddy, B. R. Das, R. P. Extraction studies of cobalt (II) and nickel (II) from chloride solutions using Na-cyanex 272. Separation of Co(II)/Ni(II) by the sodium salts of D2EHPA, PC88A and Cyanex 272 and their mixtures. Hydrometallurgy 1999, 52, 253-265. 

Hubicki, Z. Hubicka, H. Studies on the extraction process of nickel(II) sulphate purification using Cyanex 272. Hydrometallurgy 1996, 40, 65-76. 

Preston, J. S. Solvent extraction of cobalt and nickel by organophosphorus acids. I. Comparison of phosphoric, phosphonic, and phosphinic acid systems. Hydrometallurgy 1982, 9, 115-133. 

Nogueira, C. A. Delmas, F. New flowsheet for the recovery of cadmium, cobalt and nickel from spent Ni-Cd batteries by solvent extraction. Hydrometallurgy 1999, 52, 267-287. 

Tait, B. K. Cobalt Nickel Separation—the extraction of cobalt(II) and nickel(H) by Cyanex-301, Cyanex-302 and Cyanex-272. Hydrometallurgy 1993, 32, 365-372. 

Jaaskelainen, E. Paatero, E. Characterisation of organic phase species in the extraction of nickel by pre-neutralised Versatic 10. Hydrometallurgy 2000, 55, 181-200. 

Alguacil, F. J. Cobo, A. Solvent extraction equilibrium of nickel with LIX 54. Hydrometallurgy 1998, 48, 291-299. 

Sandhibigraha, A. Bhaskara Sarma, P. V. R. Coextraction and selective stripping of copper and nickel using LIX87QN. Hydrometallurgy 1997, 45, 211-219. 

Zhang, P. W. Inoue, K. Yoshizuka, K. Tsuyama, H. Extraction and selective stripping of molybdenum(VI) and vanadium(IV) from sulfuric acid solution containing aluminum(III), cobalt(II), nickel(II) and iron(III) by LIX 63 in Exxsol D80. Hydrometallurgy 1996, 41, 45-53. 

Mackenzie, J. M. W. Virnig, M. J. Boley, B. D. Wolfe, G. A. ALTA 1998 Nickel Cobalt Pressure Leaching and Hydrometallurgy Forum, Melbourne ALTA Metallurgical Services, 1988. 

Solvent extraction, or liquid—liquid distribution, is the process in which one or more solutes partition selectively between two immiscible liquid phases (Rydbery, Musikas and Choppin 1992). The process is applied industrially in hydrometallurgy e.g., recovery of copper and nickel from ores, in nuclear fuel... 

Burkin, A.R., Extractive Metallurgy of Nickel, John Wiley Sons, Chichester, UK, 1987, 121. Mukherjee, C.K. and Mukherjee, T.K., Hydrometallurgy in Extraction Processes, Vol. 1, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1990, 15, 117. 

Castro, I. M., Fietto, J. L. R., Vieira, R. X. et al. (2000). Bioleaching of zinc and nickel from silicates using Aspergillus niger cultures. Hydrometallurgy, 57, 39-49. 

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