Dr Boris Albijanic from Curtin\u2019s WA School of Mines has a dream \u2013 a dream in which Australia gets a whole lot more out of its nickel laterite.<\/p>\n
Nickel laterite accounts for 67 per cent of Australia\u2019s nickel reserves but between only 30 and 40 per cent of nickel production.<\/p>\n
The majority of nickel is instead produced from nickel sulphide reserves, where flotation can be used as a separation technique.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, leaching is currently the only technique that works on Australian nickel laterite \u2013 which is where Dr Albijanic hopes to make a breakthrough.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlotation is extremely popular in Australia but nobody is using it for nickel laterite,\u201d Dr Albijanic said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn India and Indonesia they use flotation on nickel laterite. It has been tried in Australia but so far hasn\u2019t worked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Albijanic believes mineralogy is potentially a major factor in why flotation separation from nickel laterite has not succeeded in Australia.<\/p>\n
He is hoping to attract funding for research that he says could make a huge difference to cost and environmental burdens associated with production from nickel laterite.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeaching uses a large amount of chemicals, which is expensive and not environmentally friendly,\u201d Dr Albijanic explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlotation is much more environmentally friendly.\u00a0 You use only small amounts of reagent and chemicals at starvation levels.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we can use the knowledge from India and Indonesia in Australia, we can dramatically reduce the cost of production of nickel from nickel laterite.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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