Outotec Hydrometallurgical

Nickel Plants and Processes

Our expertise and experience provide the path to optimized
solutions and complete plants for the production of high-
quality nickel, from a wide range of nickel raw materials.
Outotec offers innovative and proven leaching, precipitation, Benefits
solution purification, solvent extraction and electrowinning • Tailored and optimized technology solu-
technologies, as well as concentrator, sulfuric acid and pyro- tions from raw material to end product
metallurgical plants and processes, such as flash smelting,
• Unique laboratory facilities and
direct flash smelting and converting (DON), Ausmelt nickel
expertise
smelting and converting, and slag cleaning furnaces.
• Process guarantees
Outotec offers unique technology solutions including • Environmentally friendly
laboratory testing, engineering and delivering proven • One-stop shop concept: testing-
plants, processes, equipment and automation as well as engineering-process–equipment–
unbeatable service and support. We are committed to automation-services
co-operating and continuously developing our products
• Proven references
and processes with our customers, from environmentally
sustainable unit processes to the delivery of entire turnkey
plants. Customer needs and the unique characteristics of
the raw materials are at the heart of our process design.
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A committed partner from the start

Outotec operates globally through an extensive network Tailor-made solutions and process guarantees
of sales and service centers. Outotec provides its through metallurgical testing
customers with an unrivalled combination of process At the start of each project, we test our customers’ raw
expertise, equipment and services, and focuses on materials and feedstock and tailor our processes accord-
developing its technology solutions and services for the ingly. Outotec’s in-house research centers have a unique
mining, metallurgy and chemical process industries. We set of research facilities and pilot plants, from test bench
continuously strive to build long-term relationships with to industrial scale, well-equipped laboratories and an
our customers, ensuring that they receive the very best extensive network of research subcontractors. Laboratory
solutions for their operating environment. Our expertise testing on the mineralogy and chemistry of raw materials,
covers the whole chain of nickel production, from concen- and for example the solid-liquid separation properties of
trator to nickel recovery. Involving Outotec in your projects leached or precipitated feedstock enables us to define
at an early stage ensures you get the most profitable and optimized production processes and equipment as well
competent solutions. as bleed treatments and impurity handling processes.

We provide world-leading technologies, technology Good references, laboratory testing and process simula-
selection expertise based on laboratory test programs, tion - the Outotec way of working - gives you the benefit
feasibility studies, basic and detailed engineering, of an optimized process with process guarantees. Outotec
technology-specific equipment supply, training, erection has patented its innovative hydrometallurgical nickel
supervision and start-up assistance, as well as follow-up processes with a comprehensive set of patents and patent
and technical support services. This level of involvement applications.
from a single partner gives you the chance to enhance
your production processes and minimize operating costs
throughout the lifetime of the plant.
Outotec offers:
Caring for the environment
• Innovative and proven technologies
We are committed to working together with our
• Laboratory test programs and pilot test
customers in designing our nickel technologies to mini-
campaigns
mize their environmental impact. We constantly strive to
• Scoping and feasibility studies
make effective use of raw materials, maximize the forma-
• Basic and detailed engineering
tion of stable or re-usable residues and reduce water and
• Proprietary and key equipment supply
energy consumption.
• Process automation and instrumentation
• Turnkey plants
Outotec nickel technologies comply with environmental
• Training, commissioning and start-up
legislation and requirements. Involving Outotec in your
services
projects at an early stage ensures the smooth environ-
• Operation and maintenance services
mental performance of the nickel production chain.
• Spare parts
Outotec will design the most favorable and environmen-
• Plant audits, retrofits and equipment
tally compatible solution for your operating conditions.
upgrades
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SOLUTION PURIFICATION AND

LEACHING METALS RECOVERY
BY-PRODUCTS

Copper Copper
Nickel Pressure Copper
solvent electro-
matte leaching cathode
extraction winning

PGM
treatment
Cobalt Cobalt
Nickel Chloride Cobalt
solvent electro-
concentrate leaching cathode
extraction winning
Iron
removal

Nickel Nickel
Nickel Laterite Nickel
solvent electro-
laterite leaching cathode
extraction winning

PGM by-products

Outotec nickel Nickel and by-products recovery:

• Cathodes via electrowinning
technologies: •
•
Briquets via hydrogen reduction
Precipitates via sulfide precipitation
• Crystals via crystallization
Beneficiation:
• Physical separation Pyrometallurgical nickel technologies:
• Grinding • Nickel flash smelting
• Flotation • Nickel direct flash smelting and converting (DON)
• Ausmelt smelting and converting
Leaching: • Nickel slag cleaning furnaces
• Nickel matte sulfate leaching • Ferronickel plant
• Nickel matte chloride leaching
• Nickel concentrate sulfate leaching Sulfuric acid plant
• Nickel concentrate chloride leaching Effluent treatment
• High copper content nickel matte chloride Services
leaching Outotec Process Equipment
• Nickel laterite leaching Outotec Process Automation and Analyzers

Solution purification:
• Iron precipitation and iron residue treatments
• Recovery of precious metals, such as gold, silver
and PGM
• Solvent extraction
• Sulfide precipitation
• Hydroxide precipitation
• Gypsum or sulfate removal
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From raw material to end product

Outotec is the only technology provider who can offer
technology and equipment for the entire nickel production
chain from the mine to metal with project scope ranging Outotec Hydrometallurgical Equipment:
from equipment packages to turnkey delivery. • Outotec OKTOP® Reactors for atmospheric
and pressure leaching
We have several process options, such as pyrometal- • Outotec® Thickeners
lurgical versus hydrometallurgical nickel production, • Outotec Larox® Filters
and our experts, who have broad and deep metallurgical • Outotec® Scrubbers
knowledge, can offer our customers optimized and • Outotec® Cooling Towers
reliable process design based on their particular raw • Outotec VSF® Solvent Extraction
materials. • Outotec® Tankhouse Equipment
• Courier® and OTI® Analyzers
With a global reputation for offering premier technologies • Proscon® Process Control System
for processing nickel concentrates, Outotec has recently • Process instrumentation and electrification
developed new technologies for leaching ores, concen-
trates and tailings.

Not only do our nickel processing solutions help you

achieve primary end products such as nickel briquettes
and cathodes, but we can also recover valuable by-prod-
ucts such as copper, cobalt and sulfuric acid.
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Effective leaching methods

Nickel matte and concentrate sulfate leaching Nickel laterite leaching
Pyrometallurgically produced nickel matte is leached Outotec is continuously testing and developing an
in atmospheric and pressure OKTOP® reactors with the optimum atmospheric leaching process for nickel later-
help of oxygen and sulfuric acid in process solution. The ites. In the process, different nickel laterites are leached
leaching circuit typically includes pulping, pre-leaching, in several co-current stages in atmospheric reactors,
pressure leaching in autoclaves, feeding, solid-liquid depending on ore mineralogy. A viable option for concen-
separation and scrubbing stages. The leaching reac- trating and washing the leaching solution is the Outotec
tions are exothermal. Particular attention is paid to safety counter-current decantation circuit. Optimal tailings
issues in both process design and equipment design. The treatment and effluent processes are one of the key areas
leaching process results in an aqueous nickel sulfate of success. The process is designed and engineered for
solution. This solution is further pumped to the iron safe operation, including minimizing the environmental
removal and solvent extraction stages. The solid residue impact.
from the leaching is cake containing precious metals,
which can be further treated as a precious metal product.

Nickel matte and concentrate chloride leaching

Chloride leaching is an alternative way to treat nickel
raw materials. Matte or concentrate is leached at a high
acid concentration with hydrochloric acid and oxygen in
multiple steps in atmospheric OKTOP® Reactors. The high
acid concentration is needed to keep iron in the solu-
tion. Oxygen is fed in to prevent reductive conditions due
to hydrogen formation. The solids are removed from the
solution with a thickener and the output of the thickener
is a pregnant leach solution which moves forward in the
process to iron precipitation.
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Extensive portfolio of advanced solution

purification and metals recovery
We offer an extensive selection of processes for solution removal, the pregnant leach solution is pumped to the
purification and by-products for nickel production. During solvent extraction or other solution purification stages.
leaching, other metallic components, such as iron, zinc,
copper and cobalt, are dissolved and must be removed Solvent extraction
before nickel electrolysis. The quality of the solution puri- In the solvent extraction phase of the process, incoming
fication process is the key to producing a chemically and pregnant leach solution is concentrated and purified, and
physically high-quality nickel end product. Our famous a pure aqueous nickel sulfate solution is led to metal
Outotec VSF® Solvent Extraction process has impressive recovery, typically by electrowinning. In the same solvent
references in metals production. extraction plant where nickel is extracted, cobalt and a
number of impurity metals, such as iron, aluminum, zinc,
For nickel and by-products recovery, our portfolio includes cadmium, copper, calcium, manganese and magnesium,
electrowinning, precipitation, hydrogen reduction and may also be treated. All metals for which an extraction
crystallization technology options enabling nickel recovery reagent is available can be extracted with the advanced
from intermediate nickel products to ultra-high-purity Outotec VSF® Solvent Extraction technology.
nickel crystals.
After solvent extraction, cobalt and copper can typically be
Iron removal recovered as cathodes or sulfide cakes. The other impu-
Depending on the leaching and iron removal design rity metals can be recovered in the desired form. Outotec
properties, iron can be removed either in atmospheric or has delivered some of the biggest nickel/cobalt extrac-
overpressure conditions as jarosite, hematite or goethite. tions in the world.
Our expertise in iron precipitation offers an efficient and
reliable solution to nickel producers for environmentally
acceptable iron residue storage or further use. From iron
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Other precipitation processes Nickel metal recovery via electrolysis

Leach solution purification as well as nickel and by-prod- Outotec is the right partner for delivering an efficient,
ucts recovery can also be achieved via various sulfide productive and safe electrowinning plant with optimized
precipitation, oxidative precipitation, neutralization, cathode and cell sizes, current densities, busbars, and an
cementation and reduction technologies utilizing Outotec automatic material flow of cathodes. Significant advances
OKTOP® Reactors. Our technologies are a fully inte- and benefits for tankhouse operations can be secured
grated part of the total plant and provide environmentally with the Outotec CellSense® electrolytic cell performance
sustainable precipitation with minimal consumption of monitoring system. Also, metallic nickel powder can be
additive agents. produced by using hydrogen reduction technology.

Precious metals recovery The new Outotec anode bag technology in nickel electro-
Nickel sulfide ores or matte may contain valuable winning offers an environmentally friendly electrowinning
amounts of precious metals. Outotec offers process process by significantly reducing nickel emissions and
solutions to recover such metals, for example from the notably improving the working hygiene of operators. This
anode slime produced in an electrorefining plant. This new technology reduces operating costs and enables fully
type of precious metals recovery consists of leaching and automated process and oxygen recovery from the electro-
alternative Outotec® Kaldo Furnace and Outotec® TROF winning process.
Converter steps, as well as steps to recover silver, gold,
PGM and platinum metals. Nickel crystals recovery via evaporation and
crystallization
Another way to recover precious metals is further treat- Nickel crystals with various purity ranges are mainly used
ment of leaching residue, for example with further in the battery industry. The process includes evaporation
leaching and gold extraction with the novel Outotec® Gold and crystallization stages.
Solvent Extraction.
 Finland, August, 2014

Outotec provides leading technologies and services for the sustainable use of Earth’s natural resources.
As the global leader in minerals and metals processing technology, we have developed many breakthrough
technologies over the decades for our customers in metals and mining industry. We also provide innovative
solutions for industrial water treatment, the utilization of alternative energy sources and the chemical
industry. Outotec shares are listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. www.outotec.com

Outotec® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 2014 Outotec Oyj.  All rights reserved.