Production of ferro-nickel or nickel matte by a combined hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical process

A process for the recovery of nickel as ferro-nickel or nickel matte, and cobalt as a hydroxide or sulfide product, from a laterite ore comprising the steps of:

• (a) subjecting the ore to an acid heap leach process to recover a product liquor solution containing at least nickel, cobalt, iron and acid soluble impurities;
• (b) contacting the product liquor solution to an ion exchange resin at a pH of from about 1.0 to 2.5 wherein the resin selectively absorbs nickel and iron from the solution leaving the cobalt and acid soluble impurities in a raffinate;
• (c) stripping the nickel and iron from the resin with a sulfuric acid solution to produce an eluate containing the nickel and iron;
• (d) neutralising the eluate containing the nickel and iron to precipitate a mixed nickel iron hydroxide intermediate product;
• (e) reducing and smelting the mixed nickel and iron hydroxide intermediate product to produce ferro-nickel or nickel matte;
• (f) partially neutralising the raffinate containing the cobalt and acid soluble impurities to precipitate ferric iron ions as goethite, haematite or hydroxides;
• (g) contacting the partially neutralised raffinate containing the cobalt and acid soluble impurities to an ion exchange resin at a pH of from about 2.0 to 3.0 to selectively absorb the cobalt;
• (h) eluting the cobalt from the cobalt ion exchange resin with sulfuric acid to produce an eluate containing the cobalt;
• and
• (i) neutralising the eluate containing the cobalt to precipitate the cobalt as a cobalt hydroxide or a cobalt sulfide product.