ENICON: Sustainable processing of Europe's low-grade sulphidic and lateritic nickel/cobalt ores and tailings into battery-grade metals

预计2040年钴（Co）和镍（Ni）的需求将比2020年高出约20倍。鉴于欧洲在全球镍/钴供应链中仅扮演次要角色，这些供应链集中在刚果民主共和国，印度尼西亚和中国，我们在确保可靠，负担得起和可持续的电池级镍/钴供应方面面临严重问题，这对欧洲到2050年实现气候中立的目标至关重要。鉴于“国内外采购”的采购模式，ENICON开发了欧洲境内（低品位）镍/钴资源的潜力-即硫化镍/钴矿石和衍生的含镍/钴黄铁矿和硅酸盐尾矿，以及褐铁矿/腐泥土红土镍（钴）矿石-同时提高和发展镍/钴精炼能力，以加工进口矿石、精矿和中间体。ENICON包括对欧洲现有镍/钴冶金单元操作的重大改进，以及镍/钴硫化物精矿和红土矿的新盐酸路线的开发。ENICON的HCl路线省去了老式的水力方法，即不断沉淀和再溶解金属，这需要大量的化学品，并产生有问题的废物流。基于HCl的路线可以扩展到从红土中获得的FeNi（II类Ni）的下游加工;（2）来自富Co黄铁矿尾矿的生物浸出的混合（Ni/Co）硫化物/氢氧化物重金属（MSP/MHP）;以及含Ni/Co的硅酸盐尾矿。ENICON的目标是一个“法医几何学”协议，使其能够识别和减轻矿物和纹理的原因，加工损失沿着现有和新的流程。为了过渡到（接近）零废物处理并进一步减少二氧化碳足迹，ENICON开发了增强型矿物基质增值工艺。ENICON的欧洲镍/钴开采、加工和精炼公司集团的产出都将根据目前方法的积极环境和技术经济影响进行基准测试。

The cobalt (Co) and nickel (Ni) demand is expected to be about 20 times higher in 2040 than in 2020. Given that Europe plays only a minor role in the global Ni/Co supply chains, which are concentrated in the DRC, Indonesia, and China, we face a serious problem in securing a reliable, affordable, and sustainable supply of battery-grade Ni/Co, vital for Europe’s aims to be climate-neutral by 2050. In view of a “domestic and foreign sourcing” procurement model, ENICON exploits the potential of (low-grade) Ni/Co resources within Europe – i.e. sulphidic Ni/Co ores and derived Ni/Co-bearing pyrite and silicate tailings, and limonitic/saprolitic laterite Ni(/ Co) ores – while improving and developing the Ni/Co-refining capacity that can process imported ores, concentrates and intermediates. ENICON comprises both major improvements to existing Ni/Co metallurgical unit operations in Europe as well as the development of a new HCl-based route for both Ni/Co sulphide concentrates and laterites. ENICON’s HCl-route dispenses with the old-school hydro approach of continuously precipitating and redissolving metals that requires lots of chemicals and creates problematic waste streams. The HCl-based route can be extended to the downstream processing of FeNi (Class-II Ni) obtained from laterites; (2) Mixed (Ni/Co) Sulphide/Hydroxide Precipitate (MSP/MHP) from the bioleaching of Co-rich pyrite tailings; and Ni/Co-containing silicate tailings. ENICON targets a “forensic geometallurgy” protocol, making it possible to identify and mitigate the mineralogical and textural reasons for processing losses along existing and new flowsheets. To make the transition to (near) zero-waste processing and to further reduce CO2-footprints, ENICON develops enhanced mineral-matrix valorisation processes. The outputs from ENICON’s group of European Ni/Co mining, processing and refining companies will all be benchmarked in terms of positive environmental and techno-economic impacts against current methods.