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IJESD 2017 Vol.8(12): 799-803 ISSN: 2010-0264
doi: 10.18178/ijesd.2017.8.12.1060
doi: 10.18178/ijesd.2017.8.12.1060
Designing Heap Leaching for Nickel Production that Environmentally and Economically Sustain
Sri Listyarini
Abstract—Some of laterite mineral from Southeast Sulawesi,
Indonesia, has low grade nickel contain. This research was done
in 3 steps to analyze the possibility of extracting nickel from low
grade laterite for industry. In the first step of this research heap
leaching method is used in laboratory scale for extracting the
nickel from laterite mineral using sulfuric acid and
hydrochloric acid. The result of the first step research is the
higher the acid concentration used will be the more
concentration of nickel produced in the Pregnant Leach
Solution (PLS), and with the same concentration of sulfuric acid
to produce more nickel than hydrochloric acid. The second step
of this research was done in micro industry scale using sulfuric
acid to leach nickel from laterite with the variety of laterite
height and sulfuric acid concentration. The result from the
second step research is stated that 2 M of sulfuric acid is the
optimum concentration and 1.5 m laterite sample height. The
third step of this research is to design the pilot industry scale for
nickel heap leaching reactor with bamboo as a part of reactor
and to analyze the feasibility cost. The reactors designed in this
study do not produce waste, so that it is expected to meet
environmental sustainability rules. The results of the
calculation show that the heap leaching reactors designed in this
reseach will economically sustain, and will give benefit for
126.13 US $ for each nickel production.
Index Terms—Heap leaching, hydrochloric acid, laterite, nickel, pregnant leach solution (PLS), sulfuric acid.
Sri Listyarini is with the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Indonesia Open University (Universitas Terbuka), Indonesia (e-mail: listyarini@ecampus.ut.ac.id).
Index Terms—Heap leaching, hydrochloric acid, laterite, nickel, pregnant leach solution (PLS), sulfuric acid.
Sri Listyarini is with the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Indonesia Open University (Universitas Terbuka), Indonesia (e-mail: listyarini@ecampus.ut.ac.id).
Cite: Sri Listyarini, "Designing Heap Leaching for Nickel Production that Environmentally and Economically Sustain," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 8, no. 12, pp. 799-803, 2017.
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