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.