Robinson et al. (2025): Nickel extraction from olivine using waste acid from an electrochemical marine CO₂ removal process
Alexander J. Robinson, Dan Thien Nguyen, Brady Anderson, Jian Liu, Pravalika Butreddy, Elias Nakouzi, Qingpu Wang, Paul Marsh and Chinmayee V. Subban, IN: Sustainable Energy & Fuels, https://doi.org/10.1039/d5su00850f
Global production of nickel (Ni) and ferronickel (FeNi) alloys, critical to battery materials and stainless steel alloys, is limited to a few countries due to the distribution of laterite ores. To meet the growing demand, an alternative supply of Ni and FeNi alloys needs to be established. Laterite ores result from olivine (MgₓFe₂−ₓSiO₄) weathering under tropical conditions, making olivine a promising alternative source to consider; however, the lower Ni concentration of olivine makes it less economical. One approach to lowering the process costs is using waste chemical inputs in place of expensive commodity chemicals. In this study the authors evaluate the feasibility of using such waste byproducts generated by a demonstration-scale electrochemical marine carbon dioxide removal system to extract Ni from olivine (0.27 wt% Ni) as FeNi alloy.