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Perhapi_Swk

The document discusses nickel laterite deposits, their occurrences, and exploration activities conducted by PT INCO in Indonesia. It outlines the industrial uses of nickel, the geological conditions necessary for laterite formation, and the challenges faced in nickel laterite studies and processing. The exploration process includes reconnaissance sampling, resource estimation, and the identification of favorable landforms for nickel laterite development.

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Abi Bagaskara
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
14 views53 pages

Perhapi_Swk

The document discusses nickel laterite deposits, their occurrences, and exploration activities conducted by PT INCO in Indonesia. It outlines the industrial uses of nickel, the geological conditions necessary for laterite formation, and the challenges faced in nickel laterite studies and processing. The exploration process includes reconnaissance sampling, resource estimation, and the identification of favorable landforms for nickel laterite development.

Uploaded by

Abi Bagaskara
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PT.

INCO
Exploration & Mines Development Dept.

Nickel Laterite Deposit


Occurrences and Exploration
Activities
Ade Kadarusman PhD *) and Robby Rafianto**)
*)Senior Geologist Specialist / Manager of ETS
**) Mgr of MRIP and Mineral assessment

Exploration and Mine Development Department


PT INCO Tbk, Sorowako, South Sulawesi

With contribution from Waheed Ahmad (VITSL) and Geologists of EMD


USE OF Ni IN THE INDUSTRY
• Over 65% of the world’s nickel is used for making
stainless steel, with the addition of nickel in steel, it is
made resistant to corrosion
• Nickel is also used in making superalloys that can
withstand high temperatures and pressures (also high
electrical conductivity) (12%)
• Nickel is also used for plating (8%), making coins, Ni-Cd
and Ni-metalhydride batteries, and as a chemical
catalyst (15%)
• Primary nickel supply comes from newly mined ores
• Secondary nickel supply comes from recycling scrap

WA, VITSL
Nickel Deposit Type
PT. INCO SOROWAKO
Exploration & Mines Development Dept.

Nickel Deposit occurs in two origins:

Nickel Laterites
(soil or weathering product)

Nickel Sulphides
(mineralization/magmatism product)
WA, VITSL
Olivine is primary Ni carrying mineral (0.3-0.5%), highest concentration
of olivine occur in ultramafic rocks (peridotite), komatiite and olivine-bearing
Cummulate /gabbro.
Therefore, once we have ultramafic rocks, then we can find both Nickel
laterite and Nickel sulphide depend on existing geological conditions to support
those two ore types co-exist.

Ultramafic rock / Olivine-bearing rocks

Expose on the Earth’s Surface

Magmatism
Equatorial Location

Laterite Development Sulphides Mineralization

Nickel Laterites Nickel Sulphides


GLOBAL NICKEL RESOURCES

CUBA
PHILIPPINES

INDONESIA

NEW CALEDONIA

AUSTRALIA
LATERITES SULPHIDES WA, VITSL
Genesis of Nickel Laterites
LATERITES
• The term “Laterite” is derived from the Latin word “later” which means
brick
• Buchanan Hamilton first introduced the term in 1807 to the earthy iron
crusts that were being cut into bricks by the people of south-central India
• Currently, the term Laterite is used for soils that are rich in of iron and
aluminium, formed under the influence of chemical weathering with
special ground water conditions
• Development of laterites require:
– Availability of appropriate rocks that contain iron and aluminium
– Relatively high temperatures (to aid chemical attack)
– High rainfall (to aid chemical weathering)
– Intense leaching (to remove mobile elements)
– Strongly oxidising environment (to make sesquioxides)
– Gentle topography (to preserve the laterite once it is formed)

WA, VITSL
WHAT ARE NICKEL
LATERITES?
• Nickel laterites are residual soils that have developed
over ultramafic rocks through processes of chemical
weathering and supergene enrichment

• Laterite development controlled by the


following factors:
1. Nature of the underlying bedrock
(ultramafics Rocks)
2. Appropriate climatic factors (rainfall,
temperature)
3. Degree of tectonism (faults, fractures, joints)
4. Morphology of the ground
WA, VITSL
The Origin of
Ultramafic Origins
ultramafic rocks
PT. INCO SOROWAKO (peridotite)
Exploration & Mines Development Dept.

Ultramafic Rocks/peridotite as
sources of laterite Nickel
originally come from oceanic Ultramafic
Rocks =
crust that exposed in the land olivine,
(continental margin or island pyroxene,
spinel
arc) due to specific tectonic
circumstance
Ultramafic Rocks Distribution In Indonesia
INDONESIA
Principal Nickel Laterite Deposits

SERAWAK

HALMAHERA
SULAWESI
GEBE
WEDA BAY WAIGEO IRIAN JAYA

SOROAKO OBI GAG PNG


BAHODOPI SENTANI
SUMATRA
KALIMANTAN POMALAA

JAVA
TIMOR

500km

WA, VITSL
Lakes area and Matano fault

Sorowako
PTI CoW

SOA
TYPICAL NICKEL LATERITE PROFILE

Red Laterite

Limonite zone

Saprolite zone

Bedrock pinnacle
LATERITE PROFILE
Laterite Zones Processes at work

“Red” Hematite • Acidic environment


• Collapsed profile
•“Soluble” ions leached (Ca, Mg, Si, Na, K)
“Yellow” Limonite • “Insoluble” ions concentrated (Cr, Al, Fe)
• Mn, Co show supergene enrichment
• Alkaline environment
• Un-collapsed profile
Saprolite zone • Leaching/residual concentration in progress
• Boulder formation
• Ni shows supergene enrichment
• Alkaline environment
• Joints / fractures exposed to U/G water
Bedrock zone • Chemical attack is just beginning
• Channelways provide removal of dissolveds
WA, VITSL
LATERITE PROFILE OF SOROWAKO TYPE

WA, VITSL
Sulawesi Laterite Development

Rain water Rain water Rain water Rain water

soluble
P.T. INCO

Fresh ultramafic
bedrock

Weathering process

Development of weathering crust


on a West type peridotite boulder
WA, VITSL
NICKEL LATERITE PROFILES
SILICATE CLAY OXIDE
(eg New Caledonia) (eg Murrin Murrin) (eg Moa Bay)
DEPTH (m)
Iron cap
0 Cuirasse Colluvium
Limonite
Red Ferruginous overburden
limonite zone

Yellow Limonite
limonite Smectite
zone

Earthy Saprolite
ore
20

Ore with
boulders Saprolite
(Serpentine,
chlorite, Bedrock
Rocky
smectite)
ore

Bedrock
40 Bedrock
Elias, 2003
NICKEL LATERITE PROFILES
-wet and dry-
Dryer Climate Humid Climate
(Western Australia) (Indonesia)

WA
Laterite
Profile
Ferricrete
Limonite
Nontronite
Saprolite
Altered Peridotite

%Ni %Co %Mg %Fe %Ni %Co %Mg %Fe %Ni %Co %Mg %Fe
Ferricrete .2 -.5 .02 .6 35+ .2 -.5 .02 .6 35+ .2 -.5 .02 .6 35+
Limonite .6-1.4 .1-.2 1-2 45 1.2-1.7 .1-.2 1-2 45 1.2-17 .1-.2 1 -4 45
Nontronite 1.2 .08 3.5 18
Saprolite .4 .02 12.0 9 1.5 -3 .05-.1 10-20 10-25 1.5-3 .05-.1 10-30 10-20
WA, VITSL
Processing Nickel Laterite

Ores
Processing Ores Export

Pig Iron

Acid Leaching
China
Australia
Japan
Smelting Europe

Caron Process

Mineral Conservation and Added Values


WA, VITSL
Challenges in laterite study
• Ore variability both in lateral and vertical
profiles
• Laterite variability in each region and
country
• Sampling method in laterite
• Ore processing selection
• Ore modeling and resources estimation
• Geophysical and mineralogical study
ECONOMIC FACTORS OF
LATERITE DEPOSITS
Anatomy of Nickel Price
Major Stainless Steel Consumer
Commercial Processing of Nickel
Laterites
Pyrometallurgy - Ferronickel (ANTAM, Cerro Matoso etc.)
- Nickel Matte (PTI, SLN)
- Nickel Pig Iron (Chinese producers)

Pyro-hydro - Caron Type (QNI, Nicaro, Punta Gorda)

Hydrometallurgy -HPAL, atmospheric leach, heap leach


(Goro, Ravensthorpe, Caldag)
Challenges for Laterite Producers
Challenges for Laterite Producers
Future Laterite Processing
Trend
• New pyrometallurgical smelter will only be built very limited,
where high grade deposits exist with low cost electrical power
(Onca Puma, Koniambo)

• New Caron plants are highly unlikely (too high capital and
operating costs, too low metal recoveries)

• More than 65% of the new laterite capacity will be based on


hydrometallurgical processes
Acid Leaching Costs
Nickel Pig Iron
• Low purity Ferronickel (blast furnace and EF) in China
• Applied for 200 series and limited 300 series of SS
• Emergency supply to the market since 2005
• Suppliers: Philippines, Indonesia, New Caledonia

• Costs are high- breakeven: $14/lb for 1.65% grade, $8/lb for
4% grade and around $5/lb for 7% grade.
• NPI 7% grade requires >1.9% Ni feed grade, resource limited
• Environmental pollution and energy consumption
• Many blast furnaces stopped production
Concluding Remarks
• Challenge in Nickel laterite study still exist due to
highly ore variability and its selection for the
processing technology
• The low cost hydrometallurgy will dominated the
future of laterite processing
• NPI producers are limited (limited high nickel
grade resource)
• Lets develop Nickel Laterite Resources for
benefit all stakeholders
• Low cost producers will remain survive with
current situation
Exploration of Nickel Laterite
at PT INCO
CO
PT-INCO
CONTRACT OF WORK W -Central Sulawesi 36,638 Ha
- South Sulawesi 118,387 Ha
- South East Sulawesi 63,505
Ha

(COW)
After last relinquishment
1978
Exploration of Nickel Laterite
1. Outlining of ultramafic area
2. Outlining of favourable laterite landforms
3. Reconnaissance sampling
4. Follow up sampling for Indicated resource
5. Bulk densities and upgrading tests
6. Follow-up drilling for Measured resource
7. Bulk sampling and metallurgical testing
8. Sampling methods and approach
9. Representivity of sampled profile
10.Sample preparation and analytical assay
11.Data validation and database preparation
12.Mineral Resources Estimation WA, VITSL
Laterite Landforms at Petea
Identification for good laterite landforms

Morphology Features at Matarape Prospect

Undulating morphology
Flat area at Block 2
Reconnaissance sampling
Reconnaissance sampling requires:
– Checking of very large areas
– Field mapping of ultramafic rock distribution
– Sampling density is generally low (400/500m centres)
– Sampling tools are light-weight (not requiring roads)
• Hand Auger
• Winkie Drill
• Test Pitting
• Power Auger, if areas look promising (but requires roads)
– Sampling pattern
• Randomly placed points controlled by topography
• Loosely defined grid pattern based on pace and compass
– Objective is to see if any ore-grading nickel values exist for follow-up
Outcrop identification as a part of field mapping

Outcrop of Dunite
Dunite,, Strongly fractured,
fracture filled by silica

Rocky saprolite –1 ore type

Low weathered dunite with


weathering rims
Hand Auger Sampling
Follow-up Resource sampling
• Objective to define Indicated level resources
• Measurements of bulk densities and moisture content
• Determination of upgrading characteristics
• Suitable sampling methods:
– HQ size core drilling
– Large diameter core drilling
– Test pitting
• Suitable sample spacing:
– 200 x 200m grid; or 200 x 100m grid
– 100 x 100m grid
THANK YOU

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