Serpentinisation and the behaviour of nickel in Alaskan-type intrusions

蛇纹石化和镍在阿拉斯加型侵入体中的行为

• 批准号: 567552-2021
• 负责人: WilliamsJones, Anthony
• 金额: $ 1.86万
• 依托单位: McGill University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=720658
• 关键词: Serpentinisation; behaviour; nickel; Alaskan; type

Concerns over global warming have led many countries to introduce legislation that limits the future use of internal combustion engines. As a result, electric vehicles are replacing fossil fuel-powered vehicles and there is a rapidly growing demand for lithium-ion batteries to provide the necessary energy storage. Because nickel is an essential component of the cathode in these batteries, demand for this metal is predicted to exceed supply within the next three years and, by 2030, the shortfall is expected to reach a third of projected production. The proposed research, which will be conducted in partnership with Giga Metals Corp., will focus on the Turnagain Ni-Co deposit that Giga is planning to bring into production as a major supplier of Ni and Co to the lithium-ion battery market. The Turnagain Ni-Co deposit is hosted by an Alaskan-type ultramafic-mafic intrusion that is interpreted to have saturated with an immiscible sulphide liquid as a result of assimilation of a sulphide-rich graphitic phyllite. There is compelling evidence, however, that the magmatic sulphides were hydrothermally remobilised extensively during serpentinisation, which may account for the difficulties that Giga is experiencing in the metallurgical recovery of nickel and cobalt. The research, which will be conducted by a team selected using EDI best-practices, will involve characterising the mineralisation and their host rocks to establish the nature and extent of metal remobilisation. This will be complemented by a mineral chemical and stable isotope study that, in conjunction with a thermodynamic analysis of phase equilibria, will be used to determine the physicochemical conditions of serpentinisation and metal remobilisation, and model their genesis and spatial redistribution. The project will also gather information on serpentine mineralogy pertinent to potential CO2 sequestration. As a result of these studies, Giga will have access to research products that will enable it to refine its strategy for the continued exploration and development of the Turnagain deposit, adjust its protocol for beneficiating the Ni-Co ores to maximise metal recovery and assess the potential of the waste product for carbon dioxide sequestration.

对全球变暖的担忧导致许多国家出台立法，限制内燃机的未来使用。因此，电动汽车正在取代化石燃料驱动的汽车，对锂离子电池的需求迅速增长，以提供必要的能量存储。由于镍是这些电池阴极的重要组成部分，预计未来三年内对这种金属的需求将超过供应，到2030年，缺口预计将达到预计产量的三分之一。拟议中的研究将与Giga Metals Corp.合作进行，重点关注Turnagain镍钴矿床，Giga计划将其作为锂离子电池市场镍钴的主要供应商投入生产。Turnagain镍钴矿床由阿拉斯加型超镁基性侵入体赋存，该侵入体被解释为由于富含硫化物的石墨千层岩同化而饱和了不混溶的硫化物液体。然而，有令人信服的证据表明，岩浆硫化物在蛇纹岩化过程中被广泛地热液重新活化，这可能解释了Giga在镍和钴的冶金回收中遇到的困难。这项研究将由一个采用EDI最佳实践的团队进行，将包括描述矿化及其宿主岩石的特征，以确定金属再活化的性质和程度。这将由矿物化学和稳定同位素研究补充，结合相平衡的热力学分析，将用于确定蛇纹石化和金属再活化的物理化学条件，并模拟其成因和空间再分配。该项目还将收集与潜在的二氧化碳封存有关的蛇纹石矿物学信息。作为这些研究的结果，Giga将获得研究产品，使其能够完善其继续勘探和开发Turnagain矿床的战略，调整其镍钴矿选矿方案，以最大限度地回收金属，并评估废物封存二氧化碳的潜力。