Process for production of nickel and cobalt using metal hydroxide, metal oxide and/or metal carbonate

A method for making metallic nickel or cobalt comprising:

• providing a metal salt selected from the group consisting of nickel hydroxide, cobalt hydroxide, mixed nickel-cobalt hydroxide, nickel carbonate, cobalt carbonate and combinations thereof;
• mixing the metal salt with a binder selected from the group consisting of inorganic binder and combinations of inorganic and organic binders, to form a mixture;
• optionally adding water;
• forming the mixture into agglomerates;
• drying the agglomerates;
• adding an effective reducing amount of a reducing agent selected from the group consisting of a gaseous reductant, coke, charcoal and combinations thereof;
• adding coke to the mixture;
• and
• directly reducing the dried agglomerates with an effective amount of heat to produce a metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt and combinations thereof.

A method for making metallic nickel or cobalt comprising

• providing a metal salt selected from the group consisting of nickel hydroxide, cobalt hydroxide, mixed nickel-cobalt hydroxide, nickel carbonate, cobalt carbonate and combinations thereof;
• mixing the metal salt with a binder selected from the group consisting of inorganic binder, organic binder and combinations thereof;
• mixing the metal salt and binder with coke particles to form a mixture;
• optionally adding water;
• forming the mixture into agglomerates;
• drying the agglomerates,
• adding an effective reducing amount of coke and/or coal to the dried agglomerates, and
• directly reducing the dried agglomerates with an effective amount of heat to produce a metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt and combinations thereof.