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Research Highlights

New approach to recycling nickel from zinc plant residues

Published online 21 August 2023

The optimum conditions for recycling nickel from residues from zinc plants have been determined

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The demand for nickel, a crucial component in stainless steel and lithium-ion batteries, has surged in recent years. An environmentally and economically attractive way to meet this demand is to recycle nickel from residues at zinc plants, which pose a serious threat to the environment.

Now, researchers in Iran have proposed a multistage hydrometallurgical process to recover nickel from these residues, producing a large amount of nickel sulfate solution with zinc as the main impurity.

The team determined the optimal conditions for nickel recovery by investigating the effects of various factors on the efficiency and morphology of nickel deposits.

They also examined how different concentrations of the Zn2+ impurity affected the quality of the deposits and found that increasing Zn2+ concentration reduced both efficiency and deposit quality.

The study highlights an effective method for recycling nickel from zinc plant residues while addressing environmental concerns. The findings also provide valuable insights into optimizing parameters for nickel electrowinning processes and understanding the impact of zinc impurities on deposit quality. 

doi:10.1038/nmiddleeast.2023.144