Extraction of Concentrated Phase of Nickel and Cobalt from High-Grade Copper Matte

MONZEN Kanehiro, OTSUKA-YAO-MATSUO Shinya, OMATA Takahisa

doi:10.2473/journalofmmij.131.487

Pyrometallurgical extraction of a concentrated phase of Ni and Co from high-grade copper matte that is obtained by copper matte smelting of low-grade secondary materials was studied. The process consists of melting of the high-grade copper matte mixed with the metallic copper at 1,623K and subsequently occurred liquid-liquid phase separation. The two liquid phase region in Cu-β-S pseudo-ternary system (β=Fe+Pb+Ni+Co) appears similar composition range to that in Cu-X-S ternary system<tt>（</tt>X <tt>＝</tt>Fe<tt>，</tt>Pb<tt>，</tt>Ni<tt>，</tt>Co) previously reported. The supernatant phase termed as the matte, of which sulfur content is comparatively high, and settled phase termed as metal, of which sulfur content is comparatively low, are formed when the composition of the melt is in the immiscible region of two liquid phases. The nickel and cobalt concentrations in the settled metallic phase are significantly higher than those in the supernatant matte phase. Because the concentrations of constituent elements in both the metallic and matte phases are strongly correlated each other, conjugated composition of the melt in the immiscible region can be obtained from the simulation. The simulation showed that repeated phase separations with addition of metallic copper or elemental sulfur result in the concentrated phase of Ni and Co with small iron concentration. The obtained concentrated phase of Ni and Co is expected to be an economical resource of Ni and Co, because the phase is applicable to the refining process that is already commercially operated.

Extraction of Concentrated Phase of Nickel and Cobalt from High-Grade Copper Matte

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