Amax Incorporated

Robert S Rickard

Cvetko B Nikolic

Weldon P Zundel

A method is provided for separating nickel and cobalt from a cobalt-nickel precipitate, the cobalt being in the cobaltic state. The method comprises dissolving the precipitate in an ammonium sulfate solution containing NH.sub.3, acidifying the solution to a pH of about 1.5 to 3.0 and then cooling the solution to produce a nickel-ammonium sulfate precipitate highly enriched in nickel. The precipitate is separated from the solution and the solution passed through an ion exchange column selective to the removal of nickel, the solution remaining containing said cobalt substantially free of nickel, the cobalt solution being then sent to cobalt recovery.

Nickel-cobalt separation

A method is provided for enriching nickel in a nickel-cobalt solution to a nickel-to-cobalt ratio of over 2000:1, wherein an aliquot portion of the solution is removed, the nickel precipitated from said aliquot portion in the nickelous state, the nickelous precipitate thereafter oxidized to the nickelic state and the oxidized nickel precipitate then mixed with the remaining nickel-cobalt solution to oxidize the cobalt therein to the cobaltic state which precipitates from the solution, thereby highly enriching the solution in nickel.

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Lakewood, CO, United States of America

Robert S Rickard