Improvements in the Treatment of certain Matts and Ores for the Separation of Nickel and Cobalt from Copper.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 13th May, 1392-Accepted, 18th June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of certain Matts and Ores for the
Separation of Nickel and Cobalt from Copper.
I, HENRI LOUIS HERRENSCHMIDT, Metallurgist, of Petit Quévilly près
Rouen (Seine Inférieure) France, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
My invention relates to the treatment of matts of cobalt, nickel and copper and
of matts of nickel and copper (applicable also to the proto-sulphide ores of the
same metals) for effecting the separation of the nickel and cobalt from the
copper.
I will describe the process as applied to the treatment of matts of cobalt nickel
and copper.
The matts are first crushed and a part of the crushed mat is then subjected to a
methodical roasting for the purpose of sulphating or chloridizing the metals con-
tained in the ordinary way. The roasting may also be complete, in which case it is
only necessary to attack the roasted matt by an acid in order to sulphate or
chloridize the metals contained. Whatever may, however, be the mode of
roasting employed the metallic salts are recovered by means of water so as to
form a liquor composed either of the sulphates or chlorides of cobalt, nickel and
copper.
It is to be observed that these liquors generally contain iron, the matts from which
chey are obtained always containing a certain proportion of this metal except when
the iron has been eliminated by one of the known processes such as for example by
the Bessemer blowing process.
The liquor obtained-whether containing sulphates of cobalt nickel and copper
(with or without iron) or chlorides of the same metals; is brought into contact
with a portion of the original matt which has not been roasted. The following
reaction theu takes place. The copper in the liquor precipitates as metallic copper
and is replaced by an equivalent proportion of the metals, cobalt, nickel and iron
contained in the raw matt. If such a quantity of the raw matt has been employed
that the aggregate of the three metals cobalt, nickel and iron contained therein is
more than sufficient to displace all the copper in the liquor, the whole of the copper
will be integrally precipitated in the metallic state and at the close of the opera-
tien there will only remain in the liquor cobalt, nickel and iron. This operation
constitutes a veritable cementation of the copper promoted by the raw matt.
iron (if any) contained in the sulphate or chloride of cobalt and nickel liquor may
be precipitated in any of the known ways. It is preferred to separate it by adding
to the liquor either peroxide of nickel or peroxide of cobalt, or a mixture of these
peroxides. The addition of these peroxides leads in effect to the precipitation of
the iron while the two metals nickel and cobalt become dissolved. In this manner
a liquor is ultimately obtained containing nickel and cobalt only, the separation of
which metals is effected by the process forming the subject of a previous application
for Letters Patent, dated May 1st 1891 No. 7585.
The
In treating proto-sulphide ores of cobalt nickel and copper which are analogous
in composition to that of the matts, the process is conducted in an exactly similar
way to that above described.
When the matt to be treated contains only nickel and copper with iron, the
several operations are exactly similar, the only difference being that the final liquor
contains nickel and iron only, the iron being separated if desired by means of per-
oxide of nickel which precipitates the iron whilst the nickel becomes dissolved.
The nickel may then be precipitated from the liquor, or it may be obtained in the

page_text: form of an oxide by evaporating the liquor and calcining the residue. If the
calcination be performed in a closed chamber, the acid set free may easily be
recovered.
The operation may also be equally well conducted without previously separating
the iron from the rickel and iron liquor, by simply evaporating the liquor and
calcining the residual salts of nickel and iron, so as to decompose only the salt of
iron. By then treating the calcined residue with water the nickel salt alone
becomes redissolved. This latter method of proceeding by evaporation of the
nickel and iron liquor is the more practical as it allows of operating on liquors at
from 30° to 40° B.
Proto-sulphide ores of nickel, copper and iron of a composition analogous to
that of the matts are treated in an exactly similar way.
1
1001
H. L. HERRENSCHMIDT,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of certain Matts and Ores for the
Separation of Nickel and Cobalt from Copper.
I HENRI LOUIS HERRENSCHMIDT, of Petit Quévilly near Rouen (Seine
Inférieure) France, Metallurgist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to the treatment of matts of cobalt, nickel and copper and
of matts of nickel and copper (applicable also to the proto-sulphide ores of the
same metals) for effecting the separation of the nickel and cobalt from the
copper.
I will describe the process as applied to the treatment of matts of cobalt nickel
and copper.
The matts are first crushed and a part of the crushed matt is then subjected to a
methodical roasting for the purpose of sulphating or chloridizing the metals con-
tained in the ordinary way. The roasting may also be complete, in which case it
is only necessary to attack the roasted matt by an acid in order to sulphate or
chloridize the metals contained. Whatever may, however, be the mode of
roasting employed the metallic salts are recovered by means of water so as to
form a liquor composed either of the sulphates or chlorides of cobalt, nickel and
copper.
It is to be observed that these liquors generally contain iron, the matts from
which they are obtained always containing a certain proportion of this metal
except when the iron has been eliminated by one of the known processes such as for
example by the Bessemer blowing process.
The liquor obtained-whether containing sulphates of cobalt nickel and copper
(with or without iron) or chlorides of the same metals; is brought into contact
with a portion of the original matt which has not been roasted. The following
reaction then takes place. The copper in the liquor precipitates as metallic copper
and is replaced by an equivalent proportion of the metals, cobalt, nickel and iron,
contained in the raw matt. If such a quantity of the raw matt has been employed
that the aggregate of the three metals cobalt, nickel and iron contained therein is
more than sufficient to displace all the copper in the liquor, the whole of the
copper will be integrally precipitated in the metallic state and at the close of the
operation there will only remain in the liquor cobalt, nickel and iron. This opera-
tion constitutes a veritable cementation of the copper promoted by the raw matt.
The iron (if any) contained in the sulphate or chloride of cobalt and nickel liquor
may be precipitated in any of the known ways. It is preferred to separate it by

page_text: adding to the liquor either peroxide of nickel or peroxide of cobalt, or a mixture
of these peroxides. The addition of these peroxides leads in effect to the precipi-
tation of the iron, while the two metals, nickel and cobalt, become dissolved.
In this manner a liquor is ultimately obtained containing nickel and cobalt only,
the separation of which metals is. effected by the process forming the subject of a
previous Letters Patent, dated May 1st 1891 No. 7585.
In treating proto-sulphide ores of cobalt nickel and copper which are analogous
in composition to that of the matts, the process in conducted in an exactly similar.
way to that above described.
When the matt to be treated contains only nickel and copper with iron, the
several operations are exactly similar, the only difference being that the final
liquor contains nickel and iron only, the iron being separated if desired by means of
peroxide of nickel which precipitates the iron whilst the nickel becomes dissolved.
The nickel may then be precipitated from the liquor, or it may be obtained in the
form of an oxide by evaporating the liquor and calcining the residue. If the
calcination be performed in a closed chamber, the acid set free may easily be
recovered.
The operation may also be equally well conducted without previously separating
the iron from the nickel and iron liquor, by simply evaporating the liquor and
calcining the residual salts of nickel and iron, so as to decompose only the salt of
iron. By then treating the calcined residue with water the nickel salt alone
becomes redissolved. This latter method of proceeding by evaporation of the
nickel and iron liquor is the more practical as it allows of operating on liquors at
from 30° to 40° B.
Proto-sulphide ores of nickel, copper and iron of a composition analogous to
that of the matts are treated in an exactly similar way.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that
what I claim is :-
1. The herein described process for precipitating copper in the metallic state
contained in cobalt, nickel and copper sulphate or chloride liquors (with or without
iron) by the action of raw matts of the metals to be left in solution or of the
proto-sulphide ores of said metals, whether said matts or ores contain copper or
not, as specified.
2. The herein described process of precipitating copper in the metallic state
in nickel and copper sulphate and chloride liquors (with or without iron) by
means of the raw matt of said metals or of the proto-sulphide ores of said metals
as specified.
3. The herein described process of precipitating copper in the metallic state
from copper sulphate or chloride liquors (with or without iron) by means of raw
matts of nickel or of cobalt all substantially in the manner and for the purpose
specified.
Dated this 1 J
1000
H. L. HERRENSCHMIDT,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.