Method of producing a nickel salt solution

A process for converting a nickel containing material to a nickel salt solution comprising the steps of:

• 1) providing said nickel containing material containing at least one material selected from the group consisting of pure nickel metal, nickel alloys, nickel ores and contaminated nickel metal to a fiberglass reaction vessel;
• 2) providing an oxygen-enriched acidic solution to said reaction vessel;
• and
• 3) reacting said nickel containing material with said oxygen-enriched acidic solution to produce said nickel salt solution.

A process for converting nickel containing material to a nickel salt solution comprising the steps of:

• 1) providing said nickel containing material containing at least one material selected from the group consisting of pure nickel metal, nickel alloys, nickel ores and contaminated nickel metal to a reaction vessel;
• 2 2) providing an oxygen-enriched acidic solution having an oxygen concentration greater than 0.8 mmol/l to said reaction vessel;
• 3) heating said reaction vessel to a temperature in the range of 85° C. to 100° C.;
• and
• 4) reacting said nickel containing material with said oxygen-enriched acidic solution to produce said nickel salt solution.

A solution of high purity nickel sulfate with a carbon content less than 20 ppm, said solution of high purity nickel sulfate produced without a filtering step by the process comprising the steps of:

• 1) providing a bulk nickel containing material containing at least one material selected from the group consisting of pure nickel metal, nickel alloys, nickel ores and contaminated nickel metal to a reaction vessel;
• 2) providing an oxygen-enriched sulfuric acidic solution to said reaction vessel;
• and
• 3) reacting said nickel containing material with said oxygen-enriched acidic solution to produce said nickel salt solution.