Abstract
As the demand for high-purity nickel in electric vehicles and energy storage systems increase, research on low-carbon and economical nickel smelting processes in response to climate change has become necessary. Spent coffee grounds (SCG) with high volatile matter content has garnered interest due to its high calorific value and carbon neutrality as a new biomass resource. In this study, Ni(OH)2, an intermediate compound prepared from Ni mixed hydroxide precipitates, which is a representative low-cost nickel raw material, was reduced using low-ash coal (LAC) as an existing reductant and SCG as a substitute under non-isothermal and isothermal conditions to recycle waste resources and reduce nickel production costs. The reduction behavior was analyzed by dividing the effects of carbon and volatiles. The results indicated considerable impact of the volatile reduction in both SCG and LAC. When the mixing ratios (reductant/Ni(OH)2) of LAC and SCG were higher than 0.1 and 0.2, respectively, high reduction degrees were achieved. The reduction degrees of Ni(OH)2 by LAC and SCG were higher than the theoretical direct reduction rate by carbon due to the effect of volatiles. These findings reveal that SCG can replace LAC as a reductant of Ni(OH)2 to produce nickel.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 3469-3482 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Metals and Materials International |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2024 Dec |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© The Author(s) under exclusive licence to The Korean Institute of Metals and Materials 2024.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Mechanics of Materials
- Metals and Alloys
- Materials Chemistry