MENTS IN THE EXTRACTION OF COBALT NICKEL AND MANGANESE FROM THEIR ORES AND OF NICKEL FROM ITS ORES WHEN SUCH ORES ARE FOUND IN A SIMILAR CONDITION TO THOSE OF NEW CALEDONIA
Year: 1884

page_text: I, HENRI HERRENSCHMIDT, of Bondi, near Sydney, in the Colony of New South
Wales, Metallurgist, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE EXTRACTION OF COBALT NICKEL AND MANGANESE FROM THEIR ORES
AND OF NICKEL FROM ITS ORES WHEN SUCH ORES ARE FOUND IN A SIMILAR
CONDITION TO THOSE OF NEW CALEDONIA" and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention has been designed for the purpose of treating two kinds of ore'
found in New Caledonia in one succession of operations forming a complete process,
some of which operations however may be used separate and apart from the others.
The two kinds of ore I refer to are first, the manganiferous ores of cobalt and
nickel and second, the plain ores of nickel.
Supposing that I have both these ores to treat I take the manganiferous cobalt
and nickel ore first and treat it in the following manner. This ore 1 place in a
solution of proto-chloride of iron and heat it until it boils by which time the cobalt
nickel and manganese is in a state of solution. This solution I then draw off and
precipitate the cobalt and nickel therein by adding to it sufficient sulphide of
manganese or hydrated oxide of manganese to effect the purpose. I then draw off
the supernatant liquor which is a pure chloride of manganese solution such as is
not obtainable from said ores by any other process and which solution I either
crystallise for marketable purposes or evaporate at a moderate heat whereby I
effect two useful purposes namely I drive off the hydrochloric acid to a suitable
vessel and produce oxide of manganese as a residual product. The hydrochloric
acid thus produced can be utilised for the manufacture of protochloride of iron if
nothing but manganiferous ore of cobalt and nickel are to be treated but if nickel
ore is also to be treated I utilise the hydro-chloric acid thus produced by heating it
and using it as a bath for such nickel ore until all the nickel is dissolved by it and
held in solution. This solution (containing other matters beside nickel) is then
drawn off and to it there is added suflicient sulphide or hydrated oxide of manganese
to precipitate the nickel. After the nickel is precipitated the solution is again
drawn off and evaporated at a low heat for the recovery of the hydrochloric acid

page_text: as is well understood with which I make proto-chloride of iron for the purpose of
commencing again the whole process of treating manganiferous ores of cobalt and
nickel or with which to form a bath for the plain nickel ore when that ore is alone
to be treated. It will thus be seen that when the whole of my invention is used
there is one continuous succession of operations without the loss of but an
insignificant percentage of the chemicals used therein. It is obvious however that
where manganiferous ores of cobalt and nickel are alone to be treated the first part
of my invention may be advantageously used and where nickel ores are alone to be
treated that the second part of my invention may be advantageously used excepting
only the last operation described of converting the hydrochloric acid into proto-
chloride of iron which would then not be done but the acid used as a bath for
the ore.
I am aware that proto-chloride of iron has been used before in the treatment of
manganiferous ores of cobalt and nickel but in that case there was twice as much
used as was beneficial, and secondly the ore and solution were boiled to dryness
and then heated in a furnace whereas I do not boil to dryness nor do anything
approaching to it. I simply boil and use only so much proto-chloride of iron as
contains enough iron to equal in weight the combined weight of the nickel cobalt
and manganese in the ore.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
First. The succession of operations herein described and explained forming my
complete process for treating the two kinds of ore herein described.
Second. The succession of operations forming my complete process for treating
manganiferous ores of cobalt and nickel substantially as herein described and
explained.
Third. The succession of operations forming my complete process for treating
plain nickel ores substantially as herein described and explained.
Fourth. In processes for treating either the plain nickel ores or the manganiferous
cobalt and nickel ores of New Caledonia precipitating either the nickel or the
nickel and cobalt in a chloride solution thereof by means of sulphide of manganese
or hydrated oxide of manganese.
Dated this fourteenth day of July One thousand eight hundred and eighty-