Improvements in the Treatment of Minerals, Matts, Speiss, and other substances containing Nickel for the Separation of Copper, Nickel, and Cobalt.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left. 13th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 21st Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Minerals, Matts, Speiss, and other
substances containing Nickel for the Separation of Copper,
Nickel, and Cobalt.
I, JEAN DE COPPET of 11 Rue Baillif, Paris, in the Republic of France,
Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :—
This process is applicable to copper, nickel, and cobalt pyrites, to the matts or
speiss obtained by their fusion as well as to the matts obtained by treating the
mineral oxides or silicates of nickel. In every case I deal with substances con-
taining in addition to sulphur and impurities, metals of which the most important
are nickel, cobalt, copper and iron.
This process allows of the separation from these substances as may be desired
of either nickel or cobalt pure free from copper, or nickel and cobalt mixed,
but containing no copper or again nickel or cobalt containing iron but free from
copper.
'

page_text: soluble salts, the greater portion of the copper and a portion of the nickel and
cobalt contained in the roasted matt. It is not necessary that all the soluble
matters should be dissolved. It is sufficient if the quantity of copper dissolved is
equivalent (taking into consideration their respective atomic weights) to the
quantity of nickel, cobalt and iron remaining unattacked in the form of oxide.
Thus for example, if the quantity of nickel and cobalt remaining in the state of
oxide is 59 kilogrammes the attacking liquor should contain at least 63.5 kilo-
grammes of copper in solution.
If the materials treated do not contain enough copper for the lixiviation to
produce a liquor sufficiently rich in copper, it is sufficient to add to the solution
obtained a supplementary quantity of sulphate of copper.
In a word this lixiviation with or without acid and whatever may be this acid is
only a method of obtaining an attacking liquor sufficiently rich in sulphate or
chloride of copper to perform the subsequent operations.
I will suppose for greater clearness that I operate with sulphuric liquor.
My attacking liquor may moreover be exclusively composed of sulphate
When cold, metallic cobalt alone acts upon sulphate of copper, precipitating the
copper in a cemented state and the cobalt takes the form of soluble sulphate, the
nickel remaining inactive.
I so dissolve cold by methodical washing with the attacking liquor the whole of
the cobalt in the form of sulphate of cobalt free from nickel and copper and I
precipitate an equivalent quantity of copper in a state of metallic cement.
I separate this liquor of pure sulphate of cobalt and I treat hot the residuum
of the cold lixiviation (this residuum consisting of metallic nickel remaining
unattacked and metallic copper) with a fresh quantity of the attacking liquor
operating always methodically.
Under these conditions metallic nickel acts in its turn and in the same manner as
the cobalt, upon the attacking liquor, precipitating the copper in a cemented state,
the nickel taking the form of soluble sulphate free from cobalt and copper.
Thus the complete separation of the three metals is effected, copper, nickel
and cobalt viz. :-
Copper in the form of metallic cement free from nickel and cobalt, which is a
merchantable product.
Nickel in the form of dissolved sulphate free from copper and cobalt.
Cobalt in the form of dissolved sulphate free from copper and nickel.

page_text: This decomposition of the sulphates is carried out in closed or open vessels,
preferably closed, in order to more easily condense the sulphuric acid vapours.
I utilise the recovered acid either for the lixiviation of the oxides in operation No. 3
above described or to prepare a certain quantity of sulphate of copper in the case
where it becomes necessary to add it to the attacking liquor in order to give to it a
suitable composition.
II. PRODUCTION OF FERRO-NICKEL FREE FROM COPPer.
In this case the operation No. 1 before described i.e. the preliminary separation
of the iron from the matt is no longer necessary. The mineral containing nickel
may even be directly operated upon. The other operations are conducted as in the
preparation of pure nickel.
First sulphating or clorinating the matt or previously crushed mineral in roasting
is proceeded with; then the methodic lixiviation in order to obtain the attacking
liquor.
In this case however the proportion of copper dissolved in the liquor must be
sufficient to cement the entire bulk of the nickel, cobalt and iron remaining in the
state of oxides in the residium of the washing and not simply the total bulk of
the nickel and cobalt as in the case of the preparation of
pure nickel.
The residium of the lixiviation is after washing submitted to the action of a
reducing body gaseous or solid at a temperature not exceeding a dull red so as
not in any case to attain the fusing point of the copper and nickel alloys.
I thus obtain a pulverulent mixture of metallic nickel, cobalt, copper and iron
which I treat with the attacking liquor.
.i
In effecting the cementation of heat I obtain on the one hand the whole of the
copper precipitated in a state of métallic cement free from nickel and cobalt, on
the other hand I obtain the whole of the nickel and cobalt in the form of sulphate
mixed with sulphate of iron, free from copper.
1 evaporate these sulphates to dryness and I decompose them at red heat
recovering the sulphuric acid which is set free and which I utilise if necessary for
the lixiviation and preparation of a fresh quantity of the attacking liquor for the
subsequent operations.
The residium of the decomposition of the sulphates is the oxide of nickel and
cobalt mixed with oxide of iron, containing no copper. It may be sold in this
form, or reduced, or fused and sold as ferro-nickel.
Dated this 14th day of March 1892.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Minerals, Matts, Speiss, and other
substances containing Nickel for the Separation of Copper,
Nickel, and Cobalt.
I, JEAN DE COPPET of 11 Rue Baillif, Paris, in the Republic of France,
Chemist, 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 :-
This process is applicable to copper, nickel and cobalt pyrites, to the matts or
speiss obtained by the fusion as well as to the matts obtained by treating the
mineral oxides or silicates of nickel. In every case I deal with substances con-
taining in addition to sulphur and impurities metals of which the most important
are nickel, cobalt, copper and iron.
This process allows of the separation from these substances as may be desired of

page_text: FOURTH OPERATION-REDUCTION OF THE OXIDES.
The residium undissolved by washing and containing a mixture of oxides of
nickel, cobalt and copper is submitted after washing and drying to the action of a
gas or of any reducing body at a temperature not exceeding a dull red in order not
3 in any case to attain the fusing point of copper and nickel alloys. I thus obtain a
pulverulent mixture of nickel, cobalt and metallic copper which I treat with the
attacking liquor prepared as has before been described.
Under these conditions the following fundamental reaction takes place :—
5
Copper in the form of metallic cement free from nickel and cobalt which is

page_text: state of oxides in the residium of the washing and not simply the total bulk of the
nickel and cobalt as in the case of the preparation of pure nickel.
The residium of the lexiviation is after washing submitted to the action of a
a reducing body gaseous or solid at a temperature not exceeding a dull red so
as not in any case to attain the fusing point of the copper and nickel alloys.
I thus obtain a pulverulent mixture of metallic nickel, cobalt, copper and iron
which I treat with the attacking liquor.
In effecting the cementation by heat I obtain on the one hand the whole of the
copper precipitated in a state of metallic cement free from nickel and cobalt, on
the other hand I obtain the whole of the nickel and cobalt in the form of sulphate
mixed with sulphate of iron, free from copper.
I evaporate these sulphates to dryness and I decompose them at a red heat
recovering the sulphuric acid which is set free and which I utilise if necessary for
the lixiviation and preparation of a fresh quantity of the attacking liquor for the
subsequent operations.
The residium of the decomposition of the sulphates is the oxide of nickel and
cobalt mixed with oxide of iron, containing no copper. It may be sold in this
form, or reduced, or fused and sold as ferro nickel.
Thus nickel and cobalt are separated from copper either in the form of pure
nickel and pure cobalt, or in the form of pure oxides of these metals, or in the
form of ferro nickel, all of these products being free from copper.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, without limiting myself
to the details of carrying out this which may be varied according to necessity I
declare that what I claim is :-
1. The method of treating minerals, matts, speiss and other substances containing
nickel consisting in separating the cobalt from the nickel and copper in sulphuric or
hydrochloric liquors by cementation, at the ordinary temperature of the surrounding
atmosphere, of the copper by means of metallic cobalt obtained by preliminary
reduction at a low temperature of the oxide of cobalt.
2. In separating nickel from copper in the same liquors, the process of hot
comentation of the copper by means of metallic nickel obtained by preliminary
reduction at a low temperature of oxide of nickel either pure or mixed with oxide
of copper.
3. In separating nickel and cobalt from copper in the same liquors, the process of
hot cementation of the copper by means of a mixture of metallic nickel, cobalt
and iron obtained by preliminary reduction at a low temperature of oxides of these
three metals all substantially as described in the present Specification.
Dated this 18th day of November 1892.