Processing of ore from the Nud II deposit by the method of low-temperature roasting with ammonium sulfate

Abstract

The Murmansk region has a significant amount of sulfide copper-nickel raw materials. Deposits of the Nud massif associated with Monchepluton are promising for processing. The Nud II deposit cut-off grade ore with an initial Ni content of 0.45 % and Cu of 0.39 % has been chosen as the research object. During the research, the ore was mixed with ammonium sulfate, grinded, and the mixture was roasted in a muffle furnace with static air atmosphere. The roasted mixture was leached in heated distilled water with constant stirring. The maximum metals recovery was achieved when crushing to a fraction of –40 µm, the ratio of ore : ammonium sulfate is equal to 1 : 7, roasting temperature 400 °C, roasting duration 300 min. In the mixture roasted at these parameters, reflexes of copper and nickel sulfates were recorded by the x-ray phase analysis (XRD) method. At the stage of water leaching, the maximum recovery was: Ni – 79.1 %, Cu – 75.8 %.