Lateritik Cevherlerden Nikel Kazanımında Biyoliç Yöntemi

Yıl 2014, Cilt: 30 Sayı: 4, 275 - 284, 01.08.2014

Hasan Çiftçi Süleyman Atik

Öz

Uzun zamandır bir ihtiyaç kaynağı olan nikel, teknolojinin gelişmesi ile yeni ürünlerin önemli bir hammaddesi olmuştur. Cevherleşme bakımından sadece %1-3 oranında Ni içeriğine sahip yataklar üretilebilir konumundadır. Dünya nikel kaynaklarının %28’i sülfürlü ve %72’si lateritik yataklardan oluşmaktadır. Ancak, birincil nikel üretimi söz konusu olduğunda sülfürlü kaynakların kullanımı %58 olup, lateritik kaynaklar ise %42 gibi düşük bir değerde kalmaktadır. Bunun yanı sıra, sülfürlü yataklardaki rezervlerin azalmış olması da lateritik yatakların önemini artırmaktadır. Lateritik nikel cevherlerinden nikel kazanımında en basit geleneksel madencilik, cevher yatağından cevherin çıkarılarak kırma ve öğütme gibi ufalama işleminden geçirilmesi ve daha sonra cevherden metalleri kazanmak için pirometalurjik ve/veya hidrometalurjik yöntemlerin kullanılmasını kapsamaktadır. Cevherden metallerin geleneksel kazanımında yüksek sıcaklıklar (pirometalurji) ve kimyasallar (hidrometalurji) kullanılmakta olup, bu tekniklerin çevresel ve sağlık yönünden zararları bulunmaktadır. Bu nedenle, son 50 yıl içerisinde biyoteknolojik gelişmelerden dolayı madencilik endüstrisinde biyolojik kazanım teknikleri büyük oranda önem kazanmış ve endüstride giderek artan bir uygulama alanı bulmuştur. Biyoliç, düşük tenörlü cevherlerden metallerin kazanılmasında basit, ekonomik ve çevreye dost bir yöntemdir. Lateritik nikel cevherleri oldukça yüksek oranda demir içermesinden dolayı, hidrometalurjik proseslerde H2SO4 tüketimi önemli şekilde artmaktadır. Lateritik nikel cevherinden nikelin kazanımında biyoliç yönteminin uygulanması bu asit tüketiminin ekonomik olarak olumsuz etkilerini azaltması ve ayrıca çevresel açıdan daha kontrollü hale getirmesini sağlayabilir. Bu yazıda, lateritik cevherlerden nikel kazanımında biyoliç uygulamaları ve son gelişmeler incelenmiştir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Lateritik cevher, nikel kazanımı, zenginleştirme yöntemleri, biyoliç

Nickel recovery from lateritic ores via bioleaching

Öz

Upon progress of technology, nickel has been considered as an important raw material for development of new products. Ore deposits with only 1-3% Ni content are suitable for production. About 72% of the world's nickel resources are laterites. The remaining 28% are sulphides. However, about 58% of the world’s primary nickel production comes from nickel sulphide and about 42% of mined nickel comes from nickel laterite deposits. Moreover decrease in sulphide nickel reserves makes lateritic deposits come to the forefront in nickel production. The most common technique in processing of lateritic nickel ores involves traditional mining of the ore, crushing and grinding of the ore after its removal from the ore deposit and the use of pyrometallurgical and/or hydrometallurgical techniques to extract metals from the ore. In traditional extraction of metals from ores, high temperatures (pyrometallurgy) and chemicals (hydrometallurgy) are used which have detrimental effects on environment and human health. Consequently, biological extraction methods gained significant importance due to increase in biotechnological developments and found a growing application area in the mining industry for the last 50 years. Bioleaching is a simple, economical and environmentally friendly technique in leaching of metals from low grade ores. As lateritic nickel ores possess very high amounts of iron, H2SO4 consumption in hydrometallurgical processes increases significantly. The use of bioleaching technique for the extraction of nickel from lateritic nickel ores could reduce the inferior economical effects of acid usage and make the process to be performed in a more controlled way. In this paper, recent developments and bioleaching applications in the nickel recovery from lateritic ores were investigated.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Lateritic ore, nickel recovery, concentrati on methods, bioleaching

Kaynakça

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