Nickel extraction

Extractive metallurgy of nickel is the set of operations that allow the manufacture of nickel metal from ore. It also concerns the recycling of metallurgical waste containing nickel (40% of nickel consumed in 2005 was recycled).

Nickel is extracted from two types of ores: laterites and sulfides. Although 70% of nickel reserves are lateritic ores, these only account for 40% of global production. Lateritic ores are primarily used for the production of ferronickel, while sulfide ores are generally used for the production of very pure nickel.

Whether lateritic or sulfide, nickel ores are mined when their nickel content exceeds 1.3%. This low content explains the complexity and diversity of processes, determined by the nature of the ore's gangue, as well as the desired quality of nickel at the end of extraction.

Jules Garnier traveled through New Caledonia from 1863 to 1866 and discovered an ore containing a maximum of 6 to 7% nickel, which was named garnierite in his honor. Nickel production began there in 1875. At that time, there was a heated debate between those who advocated a hydrometallurgical treatment and Garnier, who opted for a pyrometallurgical process.

During the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1883, nickel was discovered in the Sudbury Basin in Ontario. This discovery led to significant European immigration. The abundance of nickel in the region earned it the nickname "Nickel Capital."

Developed in Sudbury (Canada) in 1905, the production of nickel from sulfide ores, which are also rich in copper and cobalt, quickly surpassed production from laterites.

In 1921, nickel veins were discovered in Finland in the Petsamo region. Nickel exploitation began in 1935 by the Canadian company Inco.

In 1935, Stalin decided to create the city of Norilsk in Siberia for the exploitation of a nickel deposit by the company Norilsk Nickel and a forced labor camp known as the Norillag.