MAKRO PROSES PENAMBANGAN NICKEL LATERITE

ALAN MATANO
PRESENTATION OUTLINE

 WHAT IS NICKEL AND WHAT IS IT USED FOR?

 WHERE DOES NICKEL COME FROM ?
 EXPLORATION OF NICKEL LATERITE
 MINING NICKEL LATERITE

Disclaimer
This presentation compiled from various source, no permission received from the authors to re-produce the presentation, therefore this is only
for internal training purpose.
 WHAT IS NICKEL
AND
WHAT IS IT USED FOR?
Use of nickel (as a natural meteoric nickel–iron alloy)
has been traced as far back as 3500 BC

Chinese documents from around 1500BC make

reference to 'white copper' (baitong), which was very
likely an alloy of nickel and silver
WHAT IS NICKEL AND WHAT IS IT USED FOR

Nickel was first isolated and classified as a chemical

element in 1751 by Axel Fredrik Cronstedt

Coins in the USA first used nickel alloyed with

copper in 1857. The “nickel” was not made from pure
nickel but 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
Nickel has many applications that take advantage of its unique characteristics

Source : Global Nickel Market Trend, Vale

END USED NICKEL BY CONTINENT

Source: INSG Yearbook 2015. Data from 2014

 NICKEL RESOURCES

Source: Gavin M. Mudd and Simon M. Jowitt, A Detailed Assessment of Global Nickel Resource Trends and Endowments, 2014 Society of Economic Geologists, Inc. Economic Geology, v. 109, pp. 1813–1814
 NICKEL DEPOSITS

Since 2011 Laterite

exceeds Sulphide
production

Source: C. Butt (2007), M. Elias (2013) Source: J. Lennon, Macquarie July 2019
 WORLD PRIMARY NICKEL PRODUCTION BREAKDOWN BY
CONTINENT

Source: The World Nickel Factbook 2018

DEMAND FOR NICKEL

Source: Wood Mackenzie, SMM, Company Reports, Vale Analysis

NICKEL PRODUCT

Source: DBS Bank

GLOBAL NICKEL PRODUCT – NICKEL CONTENT & PLAYABILITY (% LME NICKEL PRICE)

Source: Canaccord Genuity, Metal Bulletin, FPX market test

 Mine Production
551kt Ni
recoverable

Nikcel matte Ferronickel Nickel Pig Iron Ore export

PT.Vale PT. Aneka Tambang 13 smelters 11 companies
78.8 kt Ni 24.9 kt Ni 261 kt Ni 190 kt Ni
WHAT IS LATERITE AND WHERE NICKEL IN LATERITE
 COMPOSITION OF PRIMARY FERROMAGNESIAN SILICATES

Olivine

Ortho
pyroxen

Clino
pyroxen

Source: Waheed Ahmad, 2009

CLASSIFICATION OF ULTRAMAFICS

Dunite Harzburgite

Lherzolite Wehrlite

Serpentinite Pyroxenite

Classification In terms of Olivine-Opx-Cpx

 Unaltered Ultramafic Rocks
Massive Folded chert
Process of hydrothermal alteration andesitic lava layers
flow

Volcanic breccia
High-temperature Low-temperature with a Pillow lava
No hydrothermal
hydrothermal hydrothermal hyaloclastic
alteration
alteration alteration

Formation of antigorite Formation of chrysotile Gabro cut by

Sheeted dike
serpentine (500 – 700 and lizardite serpentine basaltic and
complex
oC) at oceanic ridges (200 – 500 oC) on ocean felsic intrution
and along deep faults floors

layered and Varitextured

Serpentinised and unserpentinised Ultramafic folded gabbro gabbro
Rocks
Process of chemical weathering

layered cumulates of dunite and

Weathering under low Weathering under high
wehrlite
temperature/low temperature/high
humidity humidity

Formation of various Formation of Banded and folded harzburgite

types of clays laterites
Source:Yildirin Dilek, 2014
CHEMICAL WEATHERING

Chemical weathering involves four processes:

1. Hydrolysis: Oxygen, carbon dioxide, ground water, and dissolved acids attack the minerals in the rock and break
down their crystal structure.
2. Oxidation: Elements released by chemical weathering are oxidised.
3. Hydration: Reaction with water adds the hydroxyl ion to many newly formed minerals.
4. Solution: The more soluble products of the break down of minerals are dissolved and carried away in ground
water.
 Concentration Factors for various elements

Elements Bed Rock Limonite Concentration Factor

Ni 0.31 0.98 3.21
Co 0.01 0.19 14.28
Fe 6.63 54.82 8.27
SiO2 35.96 2.21 0.06 Leached out
MgO 34.62 1.20 0.03 Leached out
Cr2O3 0.54 3.95 7.26
Al2O3 0.40 2.99 7.52
MnO 0.14 1.21 8.48
CaO 0.10 0.03 0.31 Leached
 LATERITE PROFILE

Al2O3
CaO Co

Cr2O3
Supergene
Mn Co Enrichment

Supergene
Ni Enrichment

Ni
MgO

SiO2

Fe
EXPLORATION OVER VIEW
 GEOPHYSICAL
SURVEY
(Proposed)

DESKTOP STUDY
GEOLOGICAL MAPPING
(Geology Regional, Slope
DATABASE REVIEW (IUP, Lithology, Structure
Analysis, Drainage Pattern, GROUND CORE DRILLING
- Study Literature Geology, Morphology, Hand DRILLING PLAN
Regional Structure, Forestry SURVEY - HQ3
- Previous Report Auger, Access, Social and
Status, Legal, Administration,
Environmental issue)
Access)

COLLAR DATA
GEOLOGYCAL LOGGING
(Break Geology, Geology Layer,
Core Recovery, Mineral, Texture,
LOGGING DATA
Lithology, Magnetic
Susceptibility, RQD, Fracture
Density)
MORPHOLOGY AND LATERITIZATION

Source: Waheed Ahmad, 2009

LAND FORM AND SLOPE ANALYSIS
 SAMPLE REPRESENTIVITY

100m

100m 1m
HQ core size: 63.5mm diameter
1m Core sample: 0.003167 m3
100x100x1m volume: 10,000 m3
Representation ratio: 1 : 3.2 million
HQ
core hole
To improve sample representivity:
(1) Increase the size of sample per meter
(2) Increase the sampling density
Waheed Ahmad
 SAMPLE REPRESENTIVITY

Option A: Option B:
take all the material screen the coarse material
TOTAL MATERIAL -3" MATERIAL
Dry Weight (Kg) 20.54 Dry Weight (Kg) 10.82
Ni-% 1.41 Ni-% 1.79
Fe-% 9.37 Fe-% 11.70
SiO2-% 32.57 SiO2-% 31.86
MgO-% 27.89 MgO-% 25.04
Bc 0.86 Bc 0.79
Rec.-% 100.00 Rec.-% 52.69
 CASE COMPOSITING AND BREAK

0.8 m lim 0.8 m lim

Ni 1.4 Ni 1.4
DW 3 kg DW 3 kg
Saprolite
Length = 1
0.2 m,1.7, 0.5kg 0.2 m,1.7, 0.5kg DW = 0.5+(0.8*2.12) Saprolite
DW=2.20 Length = 1
0.6 m sap
Saprolite DW = 0.5+1.62+((0.2/0.4)*0.5)
Ni 1.9 DW=2.37
Length = 1 m Ni
DW 1.62 kg =((1.7*0.5)+(1.57*0.8*2.12))/(0.5+(0 Ni
DW = 2.12 kg
.8*2.12)) =((1.7*0.5)+(1.9*1.62)+(0.25*0.2*5)
Ni = 1.57% )/2.37
0.4 m bld Ni = 1.59%
Ni 0.5 Ni = 1.71%
DW 0.5 kg Saprolite
Saprolite
Length = 1 Length = 1
0.5 m sap
Saprolite DW = (0.2*2.12)+(0.8*4) DW =
Ni 2.1 ((0.2/0.40*0.4)+1.5+((0.3/0.5)*2.5)
Length = 1 m DW=3.62
DW 1.5 kg DW=3.25
DW = 4 kg Ni
0.5 m sap Ni
Ni = 1.04% =((1.57*0.2*2.12)+(1.04*0.8*4))/((0. =((0.25*0.5)+(1.5*2.1)+(1.5*0.5))/3.
Ni 0.4 25
DW 2.5 kg 2*2.12)+(0.8*4))
Ni = 1.10% Ni = 1.19%
 FLOW CHART SAMPLE PREPARATION

CHECK GEOLOGY
SAMPLE PHOTO CORE SAMPLE FRAKSINASI WET WEIGHT
LOGING

SAMPLE SAMPLE
DRY WEIGHT WET WEIGHT SAMPLE SPLITING
DRYING HOMOGENISASI

Moisture QC Archive
Duplicate Duplicate
Wet Wet

SAMPLE CRASHER PULVELIZER

RIFFLE SPLITTER V-MIXER PULP SPLITING
-10 mesh -200 mesh

QC Archive
SCREEN QC Archive
Duplicate Duplicate
TEST Duplicate Duplicate
Coarse Coarse
Pulp Pulp

LABORATOR
PREPARATION DATA
20 gram
 RESOURCE ESTIMATION

NO
GEO EVALUASI DAN GEOLOGICAL
DATABASE CREATE DRILL HOLES
LOGGING VALIDASI Data mine DOMAIN
Visual check, EDA
DATA Visual check, EDA

YES
NO
PREPARATION YES SELECTION SAMPLE &
DATA DRILL HOLES DATA WIRE FRAMING
COMPOSITING Visual check
Sum length selection vs DH

BLOCK MODEL
SURVEY DATA PROTO TYPE
Collar & UNFOLD STRING
FATAL
FLOW

volume BM vs WF
Visual check
topografi
ESTIMATION
NO
PARAMETER
Searching parameter
UNFOLD SAMPLE YES VARIOGRAPHY Estimation parameter
Visual check, sample unfold each element 5 direction, each domain Discretization point

GRADE ESTIMATION

ORE
NO PEER REVIEW BLOCK RESOURCES
FINAL BLOCK MODEL DEFINITION
MODEL CLASSIFICATION CoG, Visual check, OK BLOCK NN BLOCK
Measured, Indicated, Inferred
statistic MODEL MODEL
YES

BLOCK MODEL AND YES MODEL VALIDATION NO

PEER REVIEW REPORT Visual check, Global statistic, QQ Plot, Swath
Plot
 CUT OFF GRADE EFFECT
AND
RESOURCES CLASSIFICATION
Source: LME, Macquarie Commodities Strategy, July 2020
CUT-OFF GRADE IS THE MINIMUM GRADE REQUIRED IN ORDER FOR A MINERAL OR METAL TO BE ECONOMICALLY
MINED (OR PROCESSED). MATERIAL FOUND TO BE ABOVE THIS GRADE IS CONSIDERED TO BE ORE, WHILE MATERIAL
BELOW THIS GRADE IS CONSIDERED TO BE WASTE
 CUT-OFF GRADE EFFECT TO TONNAGE AND SR

WMT
SR

Cut-off Grade
 POSSIBLE FUTURE MINING ILLUSTRATION
ASSUMPTIONS: LIMONITE COG >1.1% NI AND SAPROLITE COG>1.5% NI

Simplified Laterite Profile Case 1. Mining for Ferronickel/NPI only

Saprolite mining only for Ferronickel/NPI Smelter
Limonite layers as OB are going to Disposal
SR ~ 2 to 3 bcm/wmt

Case 2. Mining for HPAL only Case 3. Mining for HPAL and Ferronickel/NPI
Bottom limonite layer mining only for HPAL or Ideal mining both for HPAL and Ferronickel/NPI smelter
Limonite mining rate faster than saprolite mining rate Lower OB and Waste, High mining recovery
Due to thin layer of HPAL zone compare with OB Low Stripping Ratio
SR ~ 2.5 – 4 bcm/wmt SR < 1 bcm/wmt

Illustration: A. Matano, 2019

 CUT-OFF GRADE EFFECT TO ORE CONTINUITY
Nickel Indicator Chart

450 80%
CoG 1.6 %Ni
400 70%

350
60%

300
50%
CoG 1.8% Ni

Nugget Ratio (%)

Range (meters)

250
40%
200

30%
150

20%
100

Range Nugget Ratio

50 10%
CoG 2% Ni
0 0%
1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 2
Threshold
 Simplified Mineral Resource Classification

Overburden

Limonite Limonite Ore MEASURED

Zone
Hi-grade
Saprolite Ore MEASURED
Saprolite
INDICATED
Zone
Saprolite Ore
50 m 25 m

drillhole

Overburden

Limonite Limonite Ore MEASURED Source: CRIRSCO, 2013

Zone
Hi-grade Saprolite
Saprolite Ore MEASURED
Zone
Saprolite Ore
50 m 25 m

drillhole
Illustration: Malik Hakim, 2012
Bottom Limonite Wireframe 50 space drilling
Bottom Limonite Wireframe 50 space drilling

Bottom Limonite Wireframe 25 space drilling

Bottom Limonite Wireframe 50 space drilling

Bottom Limonite Wireframe 25 space drilling

Bottom Limonite Wireframe geostatistical drilling

Limonite Variogram
Ranges 41 meters
are spaced closely
enough to confirm
grade continuity in
limonite layer

Saprolite Variogram
Ranges 28 meters
are spaced closely
enough to confirm
grade continuity in
Saprolite layer
NICKEL PROCESING OVERVIEW
PROCESSING OPTION OF NICKEL LATERITE
UPGRADING NICKEL ORE

Nickel Content of the Mined

Ore is upgraded by :
- Crushing
- Separating small, soft Nickel –
rich particles from large, hard
nickel lean particles
- Rejecting the nickel – lean
material to waste
REDUCTION KILN ELECTRIC FURNICE (RKEF)
 A Matano, 2020 A Matano, 2019

• Ni> 1.8%
• SiO2/MgO ratio about 1.6 – 1.8 or basicity about 0.55 - 0.62 (majority) Ore blending strategy is
required and sometimes a
• Fe/Ni ratio < 12 (majority)
smelter has to purchase ores
• Fe 18 – 22% from other mines for
• Low Al2O3 blending requirements.
• No coarse materials and low olivine mineral content
 HIGH PRESSURE ACID LEACHING (HPAL)

Leaching

flash cooling

neutralization,
liquid/solid separation

solution purification
and sulfide precipitation
of nickel and cobalt
MINING & GRADE CONTROL
Typical nickel mining flowchart in Indonesia
NICKEL LATERITE PROFILE
KRIGING ESTIMATION – SIMULATION – MOVING WINDOW AVERAGE CAN BE USED BY
GRADE CONTROL TO MAKE SAMPLING STRATEGY
WHAT LEVEL OF SELECTIVITY IS ACTUALLY GOING TO
BE ACHIEVED DURING MINING ?
 ORE SPEC FOR SMELTER AND HPAL
FEED ORE FOR FERRONICKEL FEED ORE FOR HPAL
 FLOW CHART MATERIAL MOVING
TEMPORARY
BLOCK STOCK PILE
MODEL

MINE SMELTER
SIMULATION FACE DRYER
STOCK PILE STOCK PILE

DISPOSAL
 TRUCK SAMPLING
HOW TO CONTROL GRADE

……..

reject reject reject reject reject

Check Sample
300 gram
Final Sample
NICKEL IN FUTURE
 CO2 EMISSION RATE
A LOT OF MONEY IS BEING COMMITTED TO ELECTRIC CAR

Source: Hyundai Steel, The International Council on clean transportation, Source : Global Nickel Market Trend, Vale
European Vehicle Market Statistics, DBS Bank
 What mean for Nickel ?
Nickel is one of key ingredients in the Electric Vehicle
DEMAND FOR NICKEL IN FUTURE
 CONSIDERATIONS FOR DEVELOPING A NICKEL LATERITE
PROJECT
 Nickel grade; cobalt grade
 Resource tonnage / Life of Mine / scale of operation
 Ore chemistry and mineralogy
 Ore consistency
 Upgradeability of ore
 Process selection
 Availability of cheap power supply
 Selection of fuel
 Availability of raw materials: water, silica flux, limestone, aggregate
 Availability of infrastructure
 Location of project
 Mining method
 Environmental considerations
 Negotiations with local and central governments
 Funding of the project
 Selection of engineer and contractor
Source: Waheed Ahmad, 2009
WHAT NEXT……???

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