RECOVERING COBALT FROM PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES

Cobalt is designated as a minor metal in the marketplace. Apart from a few exceptions, it is produced as a by-product of either nickel or co pper and is used in a wide range of specialist applications. This nr a rticle outlines a number of the processes used for extracting cobalt f rom nickel and copper ores and highlights the differences in terms of chemical composition and physical form in the cobalt produced. The sui tability of the different types of cobalt for particular end-use appli cations is discussed, ns are some of the techniques utilized in indust ry to allow greater flexibility in the choice of cobalt.