Review of present cobalt recovery practice

Over the years, improvements have been made in the recovery of nonferrous m etals, including improvements in the areas of mineral processing, pyrometal lurgy and hydrometalurgy to extract cobalt as a byproduct from host mineral s containing mainly nickel, copper and associated precious metals. At prese nt, the technological emphasis is on solvent extraction coupled with electr owinning (SX-EW)for lateritic sources of supply within the Southern Hemisph ere, such as in Australia and New Caledonia. Although sulfide-bearing ores, such as those found in Canada and Russia, will serve as a viable long-term source for cobalt, a ubiquitous metal, the future trend is anticipated to be in the implementation of compact and efficient SX-EW facilities that app ly state-of-the-art innovation with environmental compliance This paper ser ves to collate the known practices for the recovery of market-grade cobalt by means of electrowinning from either an aqueous sulfate medium or chlorid e medium after upstream leaching, solvent-extraction and solution-purificat ion procedures. For completeness, other commercial production techniques fo r the recovery of cobalt as a sulfide or oxide product are included in the summary of current cobalt processing practices.