Cobalt is a very widely used metal. There are generally two methods for extracting cobalt from nickel-cobalt-containing ores, one is pyrometallurgy and the other is hydrometallurgy. Because hydrometallurgy has the advantages of low energy consumption, low pollution, and environmental protection, it has been widely used in recent years. In particular, activated magnesium oxide plays an indispensable role in cobalt refining.
Activated magnesium oxide (MgO) is a highly reactive magnesium oxide with large specific surface area and developed pore structure. It is widely used as a precipitant to extract cobalt in hydrometallurgy. Compared with traditional precipitants (such as lime, sodium hydroxide, etc.), activated magnesium oxide extracts cobalt and has the following advantages:
1. Higher cobalt precipitation rate and purer cobalt products: Activated magnesium oxide has strong adsorption with cobalt ions and can form fine-grained, high-density cobalt hydroxide precipitation, thereby increasing the cobalt precipitation rate and recovery rate. . In addition, the introduction of active magnesium oxide can inhibit the co-precipitation of impurity elements and obtain purer cobalt products.
2. Lower precipitant dosage and lower production cost: Activated magnesium oxide has high surface activity and only requires a smaller dosage to achieve a higher precipitation effect, thus reducing the cost of the precipitant. In addition, the activated magnesium oxide precipitation method has a simple process flow, easy operation and low energy consumption, which also saves production costs for enterprises.
3. Less wastewater discharge and more environmentally friendly: The wastewater produced by the activated magnesium oxide precipitation method mainly contains magnesium sulfate, which is easily biodegraded and has less impact on the environment. In addition, no acid-base regulator is used in the activated magnesium oxide precipitation process, which can reduce the emission of waste acids and bases and is more environmentally friendly.
4. Better applicability: The activated magnesium oxide precipitation method can be applied to the hydrometallurgy of different types of cobalt ores, including sulfuric acid leaching-solvent extraction-precipitation method, chloride leaching-solvent extraction-precipitation method, ammonia leaching-solvent extraction method -Precipitation method, etc.
5. Broader application prospects: As cobalt resources become increasingly scarce and cobalt prices continue to rise, the technical advantages of activated magnesium oxide for cobalt extraction have become more prominent and are expected to be more widely used in the future.
All in all, cobalt extraction by activated magnesium oxide is an efficient, environmentally friendly, and low-cost cobalt recovery technology with broad application prospects.