Smelting Reduction of Spent Catalyst Containing Nickel: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

The aim of this research was to study the recycling process and the feasibility to smelt the spent nickel catalyst for the production of nickel alloy or ferronickel. The smelting process was carried out in a laboratory induction furnace. The effects of SiO2/CaO for slag forming on metal recovery and smelting time were investigated. Petroleum coke was used as reductant. Mill scale was used as an iron resource for ferro-alloy production, while CaO was used as slag forming agent. The raw materials were mixed together and put into a graphite crucible, which was then placed in the induction furnace. After the melt was completed, the melt was poured into a mold to solidify. The chemical composition of the product was analyzed by XRF and XRD. It was found that the smelting time was decreased with increasing SiO2/CaO from 1.0 to 2.3. For nickel alloy production, increasing of SiO2/CaO increased the weight of metal product. For the ferronickel production, however, the weight of metal product was found not to vary with different ratio of SiO2/CaO.