KENDALA DAN KEMUNGKINAN PENGEMBANGAN PROSES CARON UNTUK BIJIH NIKEL LATERIT KADAR RENDAH INDONESIA

Abstract

The largest portion of more than 1 billion ton Indonesian nickel laterite ore deposits can be classified as low grade. It is informed that the compositions of the ores varies in wide range, with high magnesium oxide and silicates contents for saprolite and high iron and aluminium oxides for limonite. The limonit ores are also potential in containing high enough silicate. Due to it always possible that the total magnesium and aluminium and or silicates contents of the mixed ores deposits are higher than the ore feed compositions critical limits of HPAL, so it is predicted that the optimal treatment would not be achieved if based only on HPAL process. As have been known even HPAL is high in performance but just only suitable for certain ores with low magnesium and low silicates contents such likes pure limonite. For that it requires to provide alternative processes which are more flexible toward ore feed compositions. If the selected process is Caron, still it needs some steps of problems approach that have to be faced for the future process development.