Nickel

Nickel is a metal with a silver-white luster. It can be forged and forged welding like iron, and is rich in malleability and ductility, and can be polished. It has strong magnetism but weaker than iron. Thermal and electrical conductivity is low. Electrical conductivity is 14.9% of copper.

It is more stable than iron in air and moisture and is not oxidized well and does not corrode well with alkali. Dilute nitric acid is readily soluble but dense nitric acid is immobile as iron, and is not eroded. React violently with chlorine and bromine.

Nickel is used in a wide variety of applications in addition to its proven superiority in stainless steel. Especially, due to its beautiful luster and corrosion resistance, it has been treated as the best alloy element in the special alloy field and it is expected to remain the total metal industry in the future. In natural conditions, nickel is usually mixed with copper. These two metals are very intimate and must be complex and many steps to separate each other.

For this reason, until the beginning of the 20th century, among the smelters, nickel was called the “mountain devil.” Because it is so difficult to extract pure nickel, it is as if the devil in the mountains was hiding in the metal and thinking about it.

Historically Nickel production has been based on Nickel Sulphide and High-grade Saprolitic Laterites using Smelting process. However, Future production will have to come from Lowgrade Laterites and Smelting process will be Un-Economic. Hydrometallurgical Processes using Acid Leaching are the Alternatives, but it's a not something new. High Pressure Acid Leaching (HPAL or PAL) is Already Commercialized but Atmospheric Acid Leaching (AL) using HCl is Not still Commercialized. HPAL Process is doubtful whether can be Economic because of High CAPEX, operating Difficulties and the High Acid Consumption. Although AL process have several advantage, but it is Not commercialized because of Difficulties of Pyrolysis and HCl Recovery.