Thermal upgrading of nickeliferous pyrrhotite tailings: Formation mechanism of ferronickel alloy

Current practices of handling pyrrhotite (Pyrr) tailings pose the risk of acid mine drainage (AMD), which is a significant environmental problem. A thermal upgrading process by which nickel value can be recovered in the form of ferronickel alloy is a possible alternative to treat nickeliferous pyrrhotite tailings analyzing 0.5–1.5% Ni. The basis of this process is that the formation of ferronickel alloy from Pyrr is possible at kinetically …