Nickel is extracted from two main types of deposits: sulfide ores and laterite ores.
The extracted ore is crushed into small pieces to facilitate further processing. The ground ore undergoes concentration to increase the nickel content.
The concentrated ore is processed using either leaching or smelting, depending on the type of ore.
01
Smelting
The concentrate is heated in a furnace to produce a matte containing nickel, iron, and sulfur. The matte is then further refined in a converter furnace to produce a higher-grade nickel matte.
02
Converting
The nickel matte is blown with oxygen to remove the iron and sulfur, producing blister nickel.
01
High-Pressure Acid Leaching (HPAL)
The ore is treated with sulfuric acid at high temperatures (~250°C) and pressures, which dissolves the nickel and cobalt. The resulting solution undergoes further processing to recover the metals.
02
Reduction Roasting
The ore is roasted with a reducing agent to convert the nickel oxides to a form suitable for leaching.
03
Heap Leaching
The ore is stacked in heaps and irrigated with acid to leach out the nickel.
The nickel-bearing solution from leaching undergoes the SX/EW process to extract the nickel
01
Solvent Extraction
The solution is mixed with an organic solvent that selectively extracts the nickel ions.
02
Electrowinning
The nickel-rich solution from solvent extraction undergoes electrolysis, where nickel ions are plated onto cathodes, producing high-purity nickel.
The extracted nickel undergoes refining to achieve high purity
01
Electrorefining
Nickel is dissolved in an electrolyte solution and purified through electrolysis, where high-purity nickel is deposited onto cathodes.
02
Carbonyl Refining
Impure nickel is reacted with carbon monoxide to form nickel carbonyl gas, which is then decomposed to produce high-purity nickel.
Knife Gate Valves are crucial in various stages in nickel processing, particularly in handling slurry, pulp, and other abrasive materials. Common areas you would find our Knife Gate Valves include:
• Provides reliability in critical applications such as:
o HPAL
o POX
• Full body liner protects the valve body from hot, acidic slurry and solutions removing the need for the entire valve to be made from an exotic alloy
• Rotable; easily refurbishable on site as the liner is replaceable
• Gate Material Options: Hastelloy C276, Hastelloy C22, 2507 Super Duplex, 2205 Duplex, Titanium, etc
• Self-Cleaning Design
• Fully enclosed body does not discharge during operation, eliminating contamination of the surrounding environment
• Provides reliability in slurry isolation across the entire plant:
o Flotation Cells, Cyclones, Thickeners, etc
o Heap Leach Plants / CIL / CIP
o SX/EW Plants
o Tailings Distribution Lines & Spigots
• Full body liner protects the valve body from slurry and leach solutions increasing the life of the valve
• Rotable; easily refurbishable on site as the liner is replaceable
• Fully enclosed body does not discharge during operation, eliminating contamination of the surrounding environment
• Available in Class #150 and Class #300 ratings
• Meets MSS SP-135 Standards
• Successfully operate in:
o High Density Tailings
o Abrasive and turbulent slurries
• Features identical inlet and outlet seat rings that incorporate a soft primary seat and a hardened secondary seat to improve sealing and service life
o Seat Ring Options: Hardened Steel, Ceramic Lined, other anti-abrasion materials, etc to suit the process conditions
• Rotable; easy to refurbish on site
• Fully enclosed body does not discharge during operation, eliminating contamination of the surrounding environment
Visit our full range of knife gate valves for critical applications.
Nickel extraction is a severe service application and requires a severe service knife gate valve. Severe service knife gate valves operate reliably with zero leakage in the toughest, most critical mineral processing applications, where valve failure would cause breakdowns and production losses. The KGI-XT severe service valve has been proven in the most difficult and critical applications.
Cobalt is primarily extracted from two types of deposits: copper-cobalt sulfide ores and nickel-cobalt laterite ores.
Often found in conjunction with copper mining, cobalt sulfide ores are typically mined using underground or open-pit methods, depending on the depth and location of the ore.
These ores are generally extracted using open-pit mining due to their proximity to the surface.
The extracted ore is crushed into small pieces to facilitate further processing. The ground ore undergoes concentration to increase the cobalt content:
01
Froth Flotation (For Sulfide Ores)
The ground ore is mixed with water and chemicals to create a slurry, which is aerated to form bubbles. Cobalt-containing minerals attach to the bubbles and rise to the surface, where they can be collected.
02
Gravity Separation and Magnetic Separation
Used to concentrate cobalt from its ores by exploiting the differences in density and magnetic properties of the minerals.
The concentrated ore is then subjected to leaching to extract cobalt. Depending on the type of ore, different leaching methods are used:
01
Sulfuric Acid Leaching
The concentrate is treated with sulfuric acid, dissolving cobalt and other metals into a solution.
02
High-Pressure Acid Leaching (HPAL)
Particularly effective for laterite ores, this method uses high temperatures and pressures to dissolve cobalt and nickel from the ore.
03
Ammonia Leaching
Often used for laterite ores, where the ore is treated with an ammonia solution to dissolve cobalt and nickel.
The leach solution, containing dissolved cobalt, undergoes further processing to separate and concentrate the cobalt
01
Solvent Extraction
The solution is mixed with an organic solvent that selectively extracts cobalt ions.
02
Ion Exchange
The solution passes through a resin that selectively absorbs cobalt ions, allowing them to be concentrated and purified.
The cobalt-bearing solution is processed to precipitate and recover cobalt
01
Precipitation
Cobalt is precipitated from the solution using agents like lime or sodium carbonate, forming cobalt hydroxide or cobalt carbonate.
02
Electrowinning
The precipitated cobalt compounds are dissolved in an electrolyte solution and subjected to electrolysis, where cobalt ions are plated onto cathodes, producing high-purity cobalt metal.
The recovered cobalt undergoes refining to achieve high purity
01
Electrorefining
Cobalt is further purified through electrolysis, where impurities are removed, and high-purity cobalt is deposited onto cathodes.
02
Thermal Decomposition
Cobalt compounds, like cobalt hydroxide or carbonate, are thermally decomposed to produce cobalt oxide, which can then be reduced to metallic cobalt.
Knife gate valves are crucial in various stages in cobalt processing, particularly in handling slurry, pulp, and other abrasive materials. Common areas you would find our Knife Gate valves include:
• Provides reliability in critical applications such as:
o Leach: Sulfuric / Ammonia
o HPAL
• Full body liner protects the valve body from hot, acidic slurry and solutions removing the need for the entire valve to be made from an exotic alloy
• Rotable; easily refurbishable on site as the liner is replaceable
• Gate Material Options: Hastelloy C276, Hastelloy C22, 2507 Super Duplex, 2205 Duplex, Titanium, etc
• Self-Cleaning Design
• Fully enclosed body does not discharge during operation, eliminating contamination of the surrounding environment
• Provides reliability in slurry isolation across the entire plant:
o Flotation Cells, Cyclones, Thickeners, etc
o Heap Leach Plants / CIL / CIP
o Precipitation & Lime Dosing
o Electrowinning (EW) Plants
o Tailings Distribution Lines & Spigots
• Full body liner protects the valve body from slurry and leach solutions increasing the life of the valve
• Rotable; easily refurbishable on site as the liner is replaceable
• Fully enclosed body does not discharge during operation, eliminating contamination of the surrounding environment
• Available in Class #150 and Class #300 ratings
• Meets MSS SP-135 Standards
• Successfully operate in:
o High Density Tailings
o Abrasive and turbulent slurries
• Features identical inlet and outlet seat rings that incorporate a soft primary seat and a hardened secondary seat to improve sealing and service life
o Seat Ring Options: Hardened Steel, Ceramic Lined, other anti-abrasion materials, etc to suit the process conditions
• Rotable; easy to refurbish on site
• Fully enclosed body does not discharge during operation, eliminating contamination of the surrounding environment
Cobalt, crucial for battery stability in EVs, is mainly extracted as a by-product of other minerals. Reliable equipment ensures efficient processing, delivering pure cobalt for sustainable technological advancements. Cobalt extraction is a severe service application and requires a severe service knife gate valve. Severe service knife gate valves operate reliably with zero leakage in the toughest, most critical mineral processing applications, where valve failure would cause breakdowns and production losses. The KGI-XT severe service valve has been proven in the most difficult and critical applications.
We understand the need to offer choices for our customers and offer a range of valves, price points and services.
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