Abstract      

Thegoethite process was conducted in nickel hydrometallurgy to examine the effectsof pH levels (2.0–4.3) on the performance of iron removal and associated rateof nickel loss. The goethite precipitate was characterized by itscrystallinity, particle size and microtopography using X-ray diffraction, laserparticle size analyzer and scanning electron microscopy. Nickel adsorption wasanalyzed to study the nickel loss adsorbed on the goethite surface, and energydispersive spectroscopy was used to detect the nickel distribution on thesurface and interior of the goethite particles. Results show that as the pHdecreases, the crystallinity of goethite lessens, goethite particles tend toagglomerate, the particle size increases significantly, and the filterabilityof the precipitate improves. Nickel is lost in iron precipitates byincorporation into the lattices and adsorption on the surface of the goethiteparticles. The nickel loss to the goethite lattices increases sharply with pH,and the nickel adsorption loss could be determined by the specific surface areaof the goethite particles. This study demonstrates that a lower reaction pHcauses the particle size of the precipitate to increase, improves thefilterability, and results in a lower loss of nickel.      

Keywords      

Hydrometallurgicalprocess;      

Ironremoval;      

Goethiteprecipitate;      

Nickelloss