DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR PROCESSING METALLURGICAL TAILINGS
Rubrics: 2. CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY
Authors:
1.
Kazan National Research Technological University
2.
KNITU
3.
KNITU
4.
KNITU
5.
Kazan National Research Technological University
Type:
Article
Pages:
from 85
to 88
Status:
Published
Received:
25.12.2025
Accepted:
25.12.2025
Published:
25.12.2025
Language:
Russian
Keywords:
TAILINGS, NICKEL, IRON, LEACHING, EXTRACTION, ROASTING, ELECTROLYSIS, TECHNOLOGY
Abstract (English):
The situation with global nickel production today is causing serious concern due to several key factors. Nickel consumption is growing especially rapidly in such industries as stainless steel, batteries for electric vehicles and other high-tech products. This leads to an increase in resource consumption. Traditional nickel sources, such as sulphide ores, are gradually evolving. These ores contain a quantity of nickel, but their extraction is becoming less and less profitable due to a decrease in the metal content in deposits. Large volumes of waste are generated during the mining and processing of nickel-containing ores. They are a mixture of various minerals, including iron, which predominates in the composition, and a small proportion of nickel. These wastes accumulate in landfills, occupying huge areas and creating environmental risks. Due to the high iron content (more than 50% of the mass) and low nickel content (about 10-20%), special technologies are required for effective processing. This makes the process of their disposal costly and technologically complex. One of the most promising methods for processing such waste is the use of hydrometallurgy, including acid leaching under constant pressure or at atmospheric pressure. The use of sulfuric acid allows you to dissolve minerals and popular nickels, but the task of isolating pure nickel from the resulting solution remains. Accumulated dumps create additional risks of environmental pollution, especially if they are stored improperly. This increases the accuracy of determining environmentally friendly and sustainable processing methods. Thus, the global industry faces a dual challenge: to find ways to fill the nickel gap while reducing the environmental impact by using existing resources sparingly and minimizing industrial waste. The focus is on nickel waste recycling, a secondary process that increases large amounts of iron (over 50%) and smaller amounts of nickel (10-20%). To address this issue, the authors recommend using hydrometallurgical processing methods such as acid leaching under constant pressure or atmospheric light. The main reagent for leaching is sulfuric acid. The key feature is the separation of nickel from the solutions after leaching to obtain pure products.
The situation with global nickel production today is causing serious concern due to several key factors. Nickel consumption is growing especially rapidly in such industries as stainless steel, batteries for electric vehicles and other high-tech products. This leads to an increase in resource consumption. Traditional nickel sources, such as sulphide ores, are gradually evolving. These ores contain a quantity of nickel, but their extraction is becoming less and less profitable due to a decrease in the metal content in deposits. Large volumes of waste are generated during the mining and processing of nickel-containing ores. They are a mixture of various minerals, including iron, which predominates in the composition, and a small proportion of nickel. These wastes accumulate in landfills, occupying huge areas and creating environmental risks. Due to the high iron content (more than 50% of the mass) and low nickel content (about 10-20%), special technologies are required for effective processing. This makes the process of their disposal costly and technologically complex. One of the most promising methods for processing such waste is the use of hydrometallurgy, including acid leaching under constant pressure or at atmospheric pressure. The use of sulfuric acid allows you to dissolve minerals and popular nickels, but the task of isolating pure nickel from the resulting solution remains. Accumulated dumps create additional risks of environmental pollution, especially if they are stored improperly. This increases the accuracy of determining environmentally friendly and sustainable processing methods. Thus, the global industry faces a dual challenge: to find ways to fill the nickel gap while reducing the environmental impact by using existing resources sparingly and minimizing industrial waste. The focus is on nickel waste recycling, a secondary process that increases large amounts of iron (over 50%) and smaller amounts of nickel (10-20%). To address this issue, the authors recommend using hydrometallurgical processing methods such as acid leaching under constant pressure or atmospheric light. The main reagent for leaching is sulfuric acid. The key feature is the separation of nickel from the solutions after leaching to obtain pure products.
Keywords:
TAILINGS, NICKEL, IRON, LEACHING, EXTRACTION, ROASTING, ELECTROLYSIS, TECHNOLOGY
TAILINGS, NICKEL, IRON, LEACHING, EXTRACTION, ROASTING, ELECTROLYSIS, TECHNOLOGY
