Extraction efficiency of metals from low-nickel matte via NH₄Cl roasting-water leaching process and synthesis of (Ni,Cu,Co)Fe₂O₄ photocatalyst

Abstract

Aiming at high energy consumption and large Co loss in the pyrometallurgy of low-nickel matte, a process of NH₄Cl roasting-water leaching was proposed to co-extract metals, followed by the separation and utilization of metals. The effect of several factors on metal extractions in NH₄Cl roasting process and the optimized process conditions were investigated by orthogonal experiments. The most influencing factors were roasting temperature and NH₄Cl dosage, and the optimized chlorination conditions were as follows: particle size of low-nickel matte <75 µm, roasting temperature of 500 °C, roasting time of 2.5 h, NH₄Cl dosage of 250% and O₂ flow rate of 20 mL/min. By studying the effect of temperature and time on the extraction efficiency of metals, the appropriate leaching conditions were determined as temperature 90 °C and time 2 h. The extraction efficiency of nickel, copper, cobalt and iron can reach 97.6%, 96.2%, 94.5% and 29.2%, respectively. The (Ni, Cu, Co)Fe₂O₄ photocatalyst was synthesized from leaching solution using α-Fe₂O₃ as a carrier to composite with other metals. The optimum conditions were determined as precipitation temperature 25 °C and molar ratio of Ni-Cu-Co to Fe 1:3. The as-prepared catalysts were spherical nanoparticles of approximate 40–60 nm, and the degradation rate of which to methylene blue solution can reach 99.8% within 120 min.

Keywords

low nickel matte / chlorination roasting / (Ni,Cu,Co)Fe₂O₄ photocatalyst / photocatalytic performance

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