A Look Into Nickel Ore and Its Composition
Nickel is a naturally-occurring metallic element with a silvery-white, shiny appearance. It is the fifth-most common element on earth and occurs extensively in the earth’s crust and core. Nickel, along with iron, is also a common element in meteorites and can even be found in small quantities in plants, animals and seawater. While the concentration of nickel in the earth's crust is 80 parts per million, the earth's core consists mainly of a nickel-iron alloy. Nickel is mined and manufactured from nickel ore which also contains Cobalt; high-purity nickel and cobalt are made from these solutions by processes such as electrowinning or hydrogen reduction. Providing a rich reserve for nickel producer Hallmark Mining Corporation, the Pujada Nickel-Cobalt laterites have formed on the southeastern rim of the Philippine archipelago and are believed to be an extension of the prominent Bicol-Eastern Mindanao Ophiolite Belt. Deposits have been identified as a mixture of saprolite and limonite material types; five (5) laterite ore deposits have been delineated within the project area namely Catmonan, Magum, Tumagdo, Alog and Masanlog.
History
It is said that 15th century miners in Germany found a brown-red ore which they believed to contain copper. They called it Kupfernickel or Devils' Copper because they couldn't recover copper from it. Nickel was first identified and isolated as an element by the Swedish chemist, Axel Cronstedt, in 1751. In the 19th century, it came to prominence in plating and in alloys such as “nickel silver” (German silver) in which it is alloyed with copper and zinc. This alloy was named for its colour and does not contain any silver!
Coins in the United States first used nickel alloyed with copper in 1857. The “nickel” (the nickname used to describe the US 5-cent coin) was not actually made from pure nickel, although in 1881 pure nickel was used for coins in Switzerland.
Stainless steels were discovered early in the 20th century and nickel was found to have a very beneficial role in many of the common grades, which continues to this day. Alloys based on nickel were found to have excellent corrosion resistance and could withstand high temperatures, which made them suitable for chemical plants and also allowed the practical realisation of the jet engine. As a result of these developments, nickel uses have enjoyed a very strong growth of demand over the past century. This continues today because of the essential role nickel and nickel resources play in many technologies.
Understanding Nickel
Nickel has outstanding physical and chemical properties, which make it essential in hundreds of thousands of products. Its biggest use is in alloying - particularly with chromium and other metals to produce stainless and heat-resisting steels. Nickel has a high melting point of over 1,400°C, it is highly ductile and resistant to corrosion and oxidation. Nickel is magnetic at room tempreature and alloys readily with other elements; it has catlytic properties, and can be fully recycled.
Nickel occurs naturally, principally as oxides, sulphides and silicates. Primary nickel is produced and used as ferro-nickel, nickel oxides and other chemicals, and as more or less pure nickel metal. Over two million tons of new or primary nickel are produced and used annually in the world. Nickel ore is currently mined in more than 25 countries worldwide and there are many different nickel ores requiring a variety of techniques by nickel manufacturers to extract the element.
Nickel Uses
More than two thirds of global nickel production is used to produce stainless steel. As an alloying element, nickel enhances its important properties such as formability, weldability and ductility, while increasing corrosion resistance in certain applications. In addition to their inherent corrosion resistance, nickel-containing stainless steels are easy to form and weld; they remain ductile at very low temperatures and yet can be used for high-temperature applications.
Nickel (Ni) has long been widely used in batteries, most commonly in nickel cadmium (NiCd) and in the longer-lasting nickel metal hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries, which came to the fore in the 1980s. Their adoption in power tools and early digital cameras revealed the potential for portable devices, changing expectations of how we work and live. The major advantage of using nickel in batteries is that it helps deliver higher energy density and greater storage capacity at a lower cost.
Among other nickel uses are in electroplating. The technology of nickel electroplating has been extensively developed, particularly during the last 50 years making it possible to efficiently produce a broad range of industrial coatings for both decorative and functional applications. Electroplated nickel is commercially important, with upwards of 150,000 tonnes being deposited worldwide each year.
Nickel Prices and The Future of The Nickel Manufacturer
Nickel prices on the global market have been on an up-trend over the last half of 2021 and through to the first quarter of 2022. Prices surged in March with a correction later that month. Projections and forecasts show a continuation of the upward trend in market prices. All this is pointing towards a very good year for nickel mining and the nickel producer.
Sources: rsc.org, nickelinstitute.org, philippinenickel.org, rueters.com, informa.com.au, tradingeconomics.com