Extraction of nickel and cobalt from nickeliferous limonitic laterite ore using borax containing slags

The diminishing availability of nickel sulfide ores and the increasing demand for nickel and its compounds have led to a growing interest in laterite deposits as an alternative source for producing nickel. However, extracting nickel from laterite ores differs from sulfides because nickel contained minerals are generally disseminated throughout the ore. Laterites cannot be concentrated using classic mineral processing techniques such as flotation.