| Abstract Scope |
Pyrometallurgical nickel extraction has been extensively preferred for treatment of saprolites and it becomes a good alternative even for limonites when the nickel prices go down as today's values like $13/kg, which makes the hydrometallurgical route uneconomical. Composition of iron-nickel alloy slags is mostly dependent on ore type. Certain ternary systems have been under consideration while analyzing smelting of saprolitic ores. Among them, FeO-SiO2-MgO system is the most commonly used one. On the contrary, smelting of limonite type ores bodies has been mostly expressed by FeO-Fe2O3-SiO2 system. In the extent of current work, some examples to slag systems of high temperature nickel extraction processes as rotary kiln-electric furnace (RKEF), low-grade ferronickel (so called nickel pig iron), etc. will be outlined together with their certain metallurgical properties. |