A study in Nature by the Max Planck Institute proposes a carbon-free, hydrogen plasma method to extract nickel.

About Nickel

• Nickel is a silvery-white metal known for its strength, corrosion resistance, and ability to form alloys. 
• Natural Occurrence: It is rarely found in its pure, metallic form naturally. 
  • Instead, it’s extracted from sulfide and laterite ores, often alongside other metals like copper, cobalt, and iron. 
• Primary Ore: Sulfide ores: e.g., Pentlandite.
  • Laterite ores: e.g., Garnierite (nickel-rich green mineral).
• Top Global Producer: Indonesia is the largest nickel producer. 
  • It contributes  over 50% of the world’s nickel output owing to its abundant laterite reserves and strategic focus on domestic value addition.
• Nickel in India: 
  • The Sukinda Valley in Jajpur district, Odisha is known for its nickeliferous laterite ore deposits.
    • It’s a major chromite reservoir and the only known deposit of nickel in India. 
    • These deposits are found in the form of nickeliferous limonite within the lateritic chromite overburden (COB) of the chromite mines.
  • Nickel also occurs in sulphide form along with copper mineralisation in East Singhbhum district, Jharkhand.
    • In addition, it is found associated with uranium deposits at Jaduguda, Jharkhand
  • Other reported occurrences of nickel are from Karnataka, Kerala and Rajasthan.
  • Polymetallic sea nodules are another source of nickel.
• Applications: It is a key component in lithium-ion batteries, electric vehicle (EV) and renewable energy sectors.
  • Nickel, when added in small quantities to iron, increases its properties manifold and makes the product hard and stainless. 
  • Other uses of nickel are in ceramics, special chemical vessels, rechargeable nickel-cadmium storage batteries, electronic circuits, in computer hard discs, jewellery, green colouring of glass and preparation of nickel compounds.
• Rising Global Demand: Global demand is rising rapidly  and is expected to cross 6 million tonnes annually by 2040 (IEA).

Traditional Nickel Extraction

• Multiple steps: Calcination, Smelting, Reduction, and Refining.
• Uses carbon as a reducing agent, leading to high CO₂ emissions.
• Energy-intensive and pollution-heavy process.

New Methodology: Hydrogen Plasma-Based Extraction

• It is a single-step metallurgical process conducted in an electric arc furnace.
• Uses hydrogen plasma (Hydrogen gas, when subjected to high-energy electrons in an electric arc, splits into high-energy ions, entering a plasma state).
  • Plasma is the fourth state of matter that is extremely hot, reactive, and fast-acting.
• Hydrogen replaces carbon as the reducing agent.

Significance of Hydrogen Plasma-Based Extraction of Nickel

• Carbon-free process: Water (H₂O) is the only byproduct and this cuts CO₂ emissions by up to 84% compared to conventional methods.
• Energy Efficient: Up to 18% more energy-efficient.
• Kinetically superior Process: The chemical reaction is more energetically favoured due to the highly reactive and unstable nature of plasma.

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