HEAP LEACHING OF NICKEL CONTAINING ORE

摘要

A process is provided for heap leaching ore to recover nickel. The process is particularly effective for ores that have a tangible clay component (i.e., greater than 10 % by weight). The process includes sizing the ore (where necessary), forming pellets by contacting ore with a concentrated sulfuric acid lixiviant and agglomerating. The pellets are formed into a heap and leached with a sulfuric acid solution to extract the metal values, including nickel. The leachate may be subjected to a nickel recovery operation without the need for intermediate neutralization.