Process for the extraction and separation of nickel and/or cobalt

A hydrometallurgical process for the recovery of metals comprising the steps of:

• a) providing an aqueous feed solution, said aqueous feed solution originating from acid leaching of an ore and said aqueous feed solution having a first metal group and a second metal group, said first metal group having at least one metal selected from the group consisting of nickel and cobalt ions and said second metal group having at least one metal selected from the group of iron (III), chromium, aluminum and copper ions,
• b) partially neutralizing said aqueous feed solution to a pH between about 2 and 6 to remove free acid from said aqueous feed solution and to precipitate metals of said second metal group, said neutralizing leaving a majority of ions from said first metal group in said aqueous feed solution,
• c) separating said precipitated metal from said aqueous feed solution,
• d) contacting said aqueous feed solution with a water-immiscible organic phase containing an extractant to load metal of said first metal group onto said extractant and to form a metal-bearing organic phase, said extractant having at least one organic soluble dithiophosphinic acid or alkali or alkaline earth metal or ammonium salt thereof and said aqueous feed solution having sufficiently low levels of chromium (VI) ions, iron (III) ions and copper ions to allow repeated use of said extractant,
• e) separating said metal-bearing organic phase from said metal-containing aqueous feed solution, and
• f) contacting said metal-bearing organic phase with an aqueous strip solution to recover said metal of said first metal group from said metal-beating organic phase.

A hydrometallurgical process for the recovery of metals comprising the steps of:

• a) providing an aqueous feed solution, said aqueous feed solution originating from acid leaching of lateritic ore and said aqueous feed solution containing chromium (VI) ions and having a first metal group, a second metal group and a third metal group, said first metal group having at least one metal selected from the group consisting of nickel and cobalt ions, said second metal group having at least one metal selected from the group of iron (III), chromium (III), aluminum and copper ions, and said third metal group having at least one metal selected from the group of manganese, calcium and magnesium,
• b) reducing chromium (VI) ions in said aqueous feed solution to chromium (III) ions and partially neutralizing said aqueous leach solution to a pH between about 3 and 6 to remove free acid from said aqueous feed solution and to precipitate metals of said second metal group, said neutralizing leaving a majority of ions from said first metal group in said aqueous feed solution,
• c) separating said precipitated metal from said aqueous feed solution,
• d) contacting said aqueous feed solution with a water-immiscible organic phase containing an extractant to load metal of said first metal group onto said extractant and to form a metal-bearing organic phase, said extractant having at least one organic soluble dithiophosphinic acid or alkali or alkaline earth metal or ammonium salt thereof to leave said ions of said third metal group in a resulting raffinate solution and said aqueous feed solution having sufficiently low levels of chromium (VI) ions, iron (III) ions and copper ions to allow repeated use of said extractant,
• e) separating said metal-bearing organic phase from said raffinate solution containing said ions of said third metal group, and
• f) contacting said metal-bearing organic phase with an aqueous strip solution to recover said metal of said first metal group from said metal-bearing organic phase.