NOUFERROUS METALLURGICAL EQUIPMENT

With the development of new energy vehicles in the world, the demand for nickel and cobalt resources for ternary lithium-ion batteries has increased, and low-grade laterite nickel ore has become one of the important nickel and cobalt resources. The nickel and cobalt in the laterite nickel ore are mainly in the form of metal oxides, and the metal nickel grade is relatively low. High pressure acid leaching (HPAL) technology processes laterite nickel ores under high temperature, high pressure, and concentrated sulfuric acid conditions, efficiently leaching nickel and cobalt ions and allowing them to enter the solution in the form of sulfates, thereby achieving metal enrichment and purification through neutralization, precipitation, and other processes. The paper analyzes the resources and characteristics of laterite nickel ore, outlines the smelting technologies of laterite nickel ore (HPAL, medium temperature acid leaching/ammonia leaching, rotary kiln electric furnace (RKEF), and rotary kiln direct reduction-magnetic separation (R/S)), analyzes the process principle, technical advantages, and application prospects of HPAL smelting technology, and focuses on analyzing the influencing factors of iron and aluminum neutralization. HPAL technology not only improves the recovery rate of nickel and cobalt, but also reduces the emission of waste gas and wastewater during the smelting process, providing new ideas for the enrichment and extraction of low-grade laterite nickel ore.