Nickel ores where. Nickel mining - possible risks. Features of nickel mining in Russia

According to the published data of the World Bureau of Metal Statistics (WBMS), the surplus of nickel in the world market amounted to 117 thousand tons in 2012 compared to 3100 tons of metal deficit in the whole of 2011. tons more than in 2011 Japanese production of nickel increased by 10.7 thousand tons last year, but the apparent demand for the metal in the country decreased by 14.4 thousand tons compared to the results of 2011 World apparent demand for the metal increased by 101 .4 thousand tons against the figure of 2011. In December 2012, nickel production amounted to 181 thousand tons, consumption - 165.2 thousand tons.

The world leader in nickel production is MMC Norilsk Nickel (Russia), with a production volume of about 300 thousand tons per year. Next, in terms of production volume, the Brazilian-Canadian company - Vale Inco Ltd. and Anglo-Australian BHP Billiton, whose nickel production in 2010 amounted to 178.7 thousand tons and 170.5 thousand tons, respectively.

Five largest nickel producers in the world, thousand tons/year

The largest primary nickel producing countries are China, Russia, Japan, Australia and Canada. And China for last years made a real breakthrough. So, if in 1994 Chinese enterprises produced only 30 thousand tons of primary nickel, then in 2004 the volume of production of this metal amounted to about 75 thousand tons. In 2011, the volume of nickel production in China amounted to 415 thousand tons, including more than 200 thousand tons of nickel in cast iron.

World Nickel Consumption

In the nickel market, it is customary to distinguish between primary and final consumers. Primary consumers are those industries that consume nickel directly. End-users are industries that produce final nickel-containing products. The main primary consumers of nickel are producers of stainless steel. They account for about 2/3 of all consumption in the world. Nickel is also used in the production of special steels and alloys, electroplating (nickel plating), catalysts, batteries, etc.

The main final consumers of nickel are transport, mechanical engineering, construction, the chemical industry, the production of tableware and other household products.

The main countries (groups of countries) consumers of nickel are the European Union, Japan, the USA, China, Taiwan and South Korea. It should be clarified that since 2009, China has been in first place in the world in terms of the use of refined nickel (about 600 thousand tons/year).

Interestingly, in the country's nickel market, the main producers of this metal, with the possible exception of Japan and China, are not its main consumers.

According to INSG estimates, nickel consumption in 2012 increased to 1.67 million tons from 1.61 million tons in 2011, mainly due to increased demand from China.

Nickel consumption in the world in recent years has been growing mainly due to an increase in demand for this metal from Chinese stainless steel producers, for the production of which about 2/3 of nickel produced in the world is used.

With a fairly stable demand for nickel from China, in recent years there has been growing activity in buying nickel in other Asian countries, as well as in the United States. In Europe, the demand for the metal has remained quite moderate so far.

Balance of the world nickel market in 2003-2012, million tons*

*Data from International Nickel Study Group

In 2012, according to INSG experts, the global nickel market experienced a surplus of 70,000 tons, with a production volume of 1.74 million tons and a consumption level of 1.67 million tons.

In 2012, nickel price quotes have known more bitterness of defeat. On average, metal prices for the year amounted to slightly more than 17.5 thousand dollars per ton, which is much lower (22.9 dollars per ton) than a year earlier.

Nickel prices continue to develop a bearish trend against the backdrop of a slowdown in the economy of China, the largest consumer of industrial metals. The debt crisis in the Eurozone significantly affects the volume of Chinese exports - accordingly, the demand of the Celestial Empire for metals and raw materials in general also falls.

World prices for nickel, USD/t

However, nickel prices are being held back by a high cost base, despite the metal's weak fundamentals, sluggish demand and strong supply. This opinion was expressed by Standard Chartered analysts.

"Nickel demand eased after cuts in stainless steel production, but marginal cost should be equivalent to a price of around $17k/t. Technically, indicators are bearish in the short term, but prices should face serious resistance at current levels," the experts said.

Prospects for the global nickel market

The International Nickel Study Group (INSG) forecasts that the surplus in the global primary nickel market will decline in 2013 compared to last year, as demand growth outpaces supply growth. INSG forecasts a nickel surplus of around 90kt compared to a surplus of around 110kt last year and a surplus of 30kt in 2011. Nickel production will grow by 5.7% year-on-year in 2013 to 1.86 million tons, while nickel consumption is expected to increase by 7.3% to 1.77 million tons. world increased by 9.3% in annual terms, demand rose by 4.4% to 1.65 million tons.

According to INSG observations, Indonesia's 2012 ban on the export of nickel ore has not yet reduced real supplies of the material to China, although there are indications that the slowdown in Chinese economic growth is being reflected in the domestic nickel market, and the increase in consumption of the latter is less pronounced than in previous years. years.

According to the forecast of UBS bank, nickel price will be $17,110 thousand tons in 2013 and $18,080 thousand per ton in 2014.

Nickel ore is a mineral, the formation of natural minerals with a sufficient nickel content to make its development economically appropriate and profitable.

Characteristics and types

The generally accepted content of nickel in the ore, sufficient for the development of the deposit, in sulfide ores is 1-2%, in silicate ores - 1-1.5%.

The most important nickel minerals are common and industrially significant minerals, such as sulfides (pentlandites, millerites, nickelines, polydymites, nickel pyrrhotites, violarites, cobalt-nickel pyrites, vaesites, bravoites, chloanites, gersdorfites, rammels-bergites, ulmanites), hydrous silicates (garnierites, annaberites, revdinskites, hovakhsites, nickel nontronites, shuhardites), as well as nickel chlorites.

Field and production

Deposits of nickel ores are industrially systematized, mainly depending on the morphology of ore bodies, their occurrence (geological conditions), their composition (mineral and material), technological nuances of processing.

The generally accepted typology of nickel ores provides for the allocation of:

• copper-nickel sulfide deposits: Norilsk, Talnakh, Oktyabrsky, Monchegorsky, Kaulsky and others (this is in the CIS), Sedbury and Thompson (in Canada), Kambaldsky (in Australia);
• nickel silicate and cobalt-nickel silicate (mostly sheet-like) in the South Urals, Cuba, Indonesia, New Caledonia, Australia.

There are also other types (minor), this is ore in:

• copper pyrite deposits;
• vein sulfide-arsenide complex deposits.

Ferromanganese nodules located at the bottom of the oceans have a huge potential.

Application of nickel ores

Almost all mined nickel (86%-88%) is used for the manufacture of heat-resistant, tool, structural, stainless metal (steel and alloys). Nickel and copper-nickel rolled products receive a small share of the mined nickel. It is used to make wire, tapes, various equipment for the chemical industry and the food industry. Nickel is used - jet aircraft, rocket science, radar, nuclear power plants. Nickel alloys are actively used in mechanical engineering. Some of them are magnetically permeable, elastic at different temperatures. 10% of nickel is used to catalyze processes in the petrochemical industry.

Features of nickel mining in Russia

Since ancient times, people have actively used natural resources in their activities. With the advent of the era of smelting technology, various alloys were created, which were widely used in various fields of activity, and at the same time, the extraction of natural resources increased.

It was then that nickel was discovered - a rather rare metal, but with unique properties, which, by the way, was very difficult to study due to its refractoriness and a number of other properties that later determined its name, meaning German"imp". After the research, scientists noted the unique property of the metal - the combination of nickel and some other materials significantly increases their strength.

Nickel mining in the world

Our planet is not very rich in nickel deposits, especially when compared with other minerals. It is noteworthy that nickel is a part of meteorites, based on this, there is an assumption that this metal has alien roots. However, deposits of nickel in its pure form practically do not exist - nickel ore is being mined, and later, using blast furnaces or other methods, nickel itself is extracted directly.

The main nickel-containing deposits include:

• sulfide-copper-nickel ores;
• oxide-silicate ores.

In other deposits, the reserves of the element are insignificant, in their composition the nickel content is not more than 0.3% of the total reserve.

There are primary and end consumers of nickel. The first are engaged in the direct production of stainless steel, and consume about 70% of the metal.

The main states with such production include:

• Russia;
• Japan
• Australia;
• Canada;
• China.

The countries of the European Union, the USA, South Korea, Japan and China are the end-user countries that produce nickel-containing goods needed in engineering, construction, chemical industry, etc.

The Russian territory has the largest indicator of the world stock of this metal, which is about 35%. Despite the rather significant deposits, it is no secret that much less attention is paid to nickel in Russia compared to gas and oil. However, in Russian Federation nevertheless, active development of explored deposits of this metal is carried out. Every year there is an increase in mined volumes, and over the past few years, the world leadership in nickel production has been owned by the Russian company MMC Norilsk Nickel, the share of this industrial giant is approximately 20% of production worldwide. By the way, as for the competitors of Norilsk Nickel, the Canadian company IncoLtd, the joint Anglo-Australian production BHPBilliton, the Brazilian company Vale SA and Jinchuan Group, owned by China, have a fairly significant production volume.

The largest sulfide copper-nickel deposits in Russia are located in the Krasnoyarsk Territory near Norilsk and on the territory of the Kola Peninsula in Zhdanovsky. The Norilsk reserves account for over 85% of the Russian reserves of this metal, the Murmansk deposits contain 10%, and the rest belong to silicate-nickel deposits located in the Urals.

Voronezh Nickel

Literally a few years ago, nickel was also discovered in the Voronezh region in the Novokhopersk district - these are the Elkinskoye and Elanskoye deposits near the Khoper river, which amount to about 400 thousand tons. This deposit was of interest to MMC Norilsk Nickel back in 1990, however, the tender was held only in 2011 and was won by the Ural company OOO UMMC-Holding. Although the largest Russian company was convinced that it was she who would develop the last discovered deposit, since this is the only enterprise in the country that has the ability to carry out a full cycle of processing nickel ores.

Nevertheless, the license was obtained by the Ural company - it is also a kind of Russian industrial giant, which has about 50 enterprises, most of them city-forming. According to the agreements concluded with the Voronezh region, UMMC will develop design estimates for prospecting and appraisal work by 2015, assess the available volumes of the deposit, and then geological exploration work will be designed. By the beginning of 2017, design and estimate documentation will be developed for the construction of a mining and processing plant in the city of Novokhopersk, Voronezh Region, as well as for the development of metallurgical production in the Urals. The Voronezh region, in turn, will receive a significant injection into the regional budget, which will contribute to the socio-economic development of the region.

However, for the inhabitants of the region, the forecasts for the future did not seem so rosy, but on the contrary, the development of deposits, in their opinion, can lead to environmental and social cataclysms. And just a few months later, the first protest rally was held, in which several thousand protesters against nickel mining took part. This was the first wave of indignation that continues to this day. In addition to the public activists participating in the rallies, environmental organizations also expressed their dissatisfaction, fearing that nickel mining could negatively affect the life of the region in the near future. In their opinion, at the moment the threat may not be so obvious, besides, the filling of the local budget and the provision of jobs push environmental issues into the background. However, it is necessary to realize that after a few years the mining company will finish the development and move to another site, and the local residents will have to deal with the consequences themselves.

But are there really grounds for residents' fears and how serious are the risks?

The impact of nickel mining on the environment

The mining industry, as a result of its activities, in any case, leaves behind waste of rocks, poor ores and various chemicals, which, when extracted from the bowels of the earth, participate in various, and sometimes uncontrolled, chemical reactions, which, of course, do not benefit the environment. In addition, when dried, the waste becomes fine dust containing toxic substances - arsenic, mercury, and so on, and it easily spreads even with a small gust of wind throughout the district. As a result, partial or complete disappearance of vegetation is possible, a violation of the natural habitat of animals that, not having adapted, leave the dangerous territory or die altogether.

Thus, if we take into account that there is a constant reduction in the natural range and vice versa, additional measures to protect the environment are required, the activities of the mining industry can make a significant contribution to environmental pollution.

Moreover, it is worth considering that these Elanskoye and Elkinskoye deposits are located near the well-known nature reserves and one of the cleanest European rivers Khoper. Therefore, nickel mining must be carried out in accordance with the most stringent environmental restrictions, and not open-pit mining, but mining, which is much more expensive, but does not cause such damage to the landscape. Although it should be noted that the UMMC already has some experience, since it has a production facility in Bashkiria, which is located in close proximity to the reserve, and is aware of all the responsibility from such a neighborhood.

Of course, the mining company promises to protect the inhabitants of the region as much as possible and offers various compromise options on pressing issues, for example, it promises to ensure the storage of waste in special sealed underground storage facilities, where they will be stored without harming the environment. However, this proposal exists so far only on paper, and what will happen in reality is unknown. So, apparently, this issue should be resolved at the state level, with the creation of appropriate commissions that monitor compliance with all requirements for environmental protection.

The situation is complicated by the fact that in the Voronezh region they plan not only to mine nickel, but also to engage in its primary enrichment, after which waste will also remain. Technological processes are carried out using a huge amount of water, which, after undergoing a reaction, becomes “dead” and, when it enters water bodies, practically kills living organisms, affecting all nature as a whole.

By the way, when developing the deposit, it will be necessary to transfer a fairly significant agricultural area to industrial land, moving the fertile soil layer accordingly, while we should not forget that the Voronezh region is famous for its Chernozem region, which has long been referred to as the agrarian pearl of the whole world.

Nickel mining, which takes place at a depth of less than three hundred meters, affects not only the landscape surface, but also the groundwater, polluting it with harmful elements. And deposits in the Voronezh region are just not lower than 250-300 meters. In this regard, fears of a fall in the level of groundwater are quite justified, since, having removed the rock and not filling the voids, a drought is possible, which will have the most negative impact on the region and the nearby reserve.

The threat to the ecological situation in the extraction of nickel is also caused by the need to roast the ore, because the useful metal makes up no more than 3% of the rock and it is more profitable to extract it near the deposit.

In this case, several options are possible:

• flotation, i.e. the rock is washed, increasing the metal concentration level to 20%;
• ore roasting, as a result of which the produced products (pellets) are easily transported to the smelter. The downside is the formation of sulfur dioxide, which in the atmosphere can cause acid rain.

However, fears about this have been dispelled - UMMC plans to use flotation, and, by the way, the company that carries out the roasting is equipped with new equipment that produces not sulfur dioxide, but acid, which is not dangerous. But again, whether the assurances of the mining company will be confirmed or not can be found out in the future.

The extraction of natural resources in our time is significantly different from the work carried out in the past, and, above all, thanks to modern technologies and equipment, special measures have been developed to prevent harmful consequences. However, such activities require significant financial investments.

Therefore, summing up, we can conclude that with the strictest control of the state authorities and the correct, and most importantly, honest approach of the mining company, which will take care of the use of expensive modern cleaning systems, it is possible to minimize the damage to the environment. However, if this does not happen, nickel mining will lead to irreversible consequences that even our great-grandchildren will face.

news-mining.ru

Features of Nickel Mining and Impact on the Ecological Situation

Nickel is a unique metal with special properties. Place of Birth this material are located in many countries of the world, where they are actively developed. However, it does not exist in nature in its pure form. Therefore, the extraction of this metal has its own characteristics.

Metal mining in different countries

There are a lot of nickel deposits all over the world, especially when compared with other minerals. It has been established that this metal is part of most meteorites. Therefore, it is clearly seen extraterrestrial origin nickel compounds, but they practically do not exist in their pure form. First, ore is mined. Only after special processing is the material obtained in its pure form.

About 35% of the world's nickel ore reserves are located on the territory of the Russian Federation. But the state is not interested in investing large Money for the development of existing and new deposits. Despite this, in recent years nickel production has been increasing in Russia. Such a Russian company as Norilsk Nickel is known all over the world. It produces 20% of the world's metal.

There are other giants in the world that mine nickel:

• Canadian company IncoLtd;
• Vale SA from Brazil;
• BHPBilliton Anglo-Australian firm;
• Jinchuan Group from China.

The largest nickel deposits are located in the Krasnoyarsk Territory near Norilsk (more than 85% in Russia) and on the Kola Peninsula. The share of the Murmansk region accounts for 10% of the reserves of this breed.

What are nickel deposits

Nickel is produced from natural materials, which contain a sufficient amount of this metal in the composition. Such breeds are called nickel ores. They are formed naturally as a result of the cooling of magma, which contains this metal.

There are several types of nickel ores that are mined to make this material. The division of rock deposits into classes is carried out taking into account the geological conditions of its occurrence, mineral composition, morphology and other features. On this basis, nickel deposits can be:

• copper-nickel, sulfide. Such deposits are found on the territory of the CIS countries, in Canada, Australia;
• silicate nickel, cobalt-nickel, ferronickel. Similar deposits are present in the Urals, Cuba, Indonesia;
• copper pyrite;
• sulfide-arsenide.

The last two types of nickel deposits are considered minor. Ferromanganese nodules located on the ocean floor can be classified as potential sources of this metal.

Nickel extraction methods

The development of nickel ore deposits is carried out open and in a closed way. Enterprises that are engaged in metal mining are highly mechanized and equipped with advanced technology for conducting all types of mining operations. Silicate nickel compounds are predominantly mined by open pit mining, and sulphide deposits are developed by two methods.

Open source development

When performing mining operations, ledges are formed in quarries. The overburden is placed in the outer and inner dumps. For the development of deposits by drilling, roller-cone drilling machines are used. Loading of the mined rock is carried out by excavators. Most of the work is carried out by road transport.

Field development by closed method

Underground work is carried out in rather difficult conditions. Often the development of deposits occurs at a depth of 1000 m or more. To perform the necessary operations, self-propelled diesel-powered vehicles are used, which load and deliver the extracted raw materials.

Nickel mining

In the process of work, the following nickel deposit development systems are used:

• sublevel collapse. A rock mass cut from below or from the side is collapsing;
• layered;
• chamber;
• with filling the worked-out space with special hardening mixtures.

The development of nickel deposits is often accompanied by rock bursts and the release of explosive methane.

Stages of enrichment of sulfide compounds

Enrichment of sulfide ores includes the following:

• crushing in three stages;
• grinding in ball or rod mills;
• collective flotation.

Enrichment of sulfide compounds

As a result of such processing, a nickel concentrate is obtained, where the metal content is 2–6%.

Features of the redistribution of sulfide ores

The redistribution of sulfide ores is carried out according to the following scheme:

• agglomeration, pelletizing of concentrates is carried out;
• then melting and converting takes place;
• separation of raw materials into nickel and copper concentrate;
• nickel concentrate recovery;
• the final process is electrolytic refining.

As a result of the metallurgical processing of ore, the following is produced:

• metallic nickel;
• cobalt;
• ferronickel and other substances.

All of them are actively used in industrial production for different purposes.

Processing of sulfide ores using pyro-hydrometallurgical technology

In the processing process, electric smelting and autogenous smelting are performed to obtain matte. Processing matte is carried out by hydrometallurgical method. The working process includes electrolysis, autoclave metal recovery, carbonyl process. Processing of silicate ores is carried out using electric smelting and refining. The hydrometallurgical method may be used.

Processing of silicate ores

Processing of silicate ores is carried out according to the following scheme:

• preparatory stage, where agglomeration or briquetting is performed;
• mine smelting with sulfidization, the output is matte;
• matte conversion;
• then the matte firing process takes place;
• the final stage is electric smelting, resulting in commercial nickel.

The impact of nickel mining on the environmental situation in the world

Nickel mining has a negative impact on the environmental safety of the world. During the development of deposits, a lot of waste remains, which include poor ores, various rocks and chemicals. Once on the surface, they react with each other, which leads to the release of dangerous toxic compounds.

Nickel mining areas are suffering due to the destruction of all vegetation, which is the natural habitat for fauna. Animals are forced to either leave these places or fight for their survival. Given the constant decline in the natural range due to human activities, the diversity of fauna in such areas is significantly reduced.

Nickel ore mining companies guarantee that all waste is stored in specially equipped underground storage facilities. They must be sealed to prevent negative impact on the environment. But in practice, such measures are not carried out, which leads to an environmental disaster in the places where the rock is mined.

Therefore, the process of control over the activities of such companies should take place at the state level. Special commissions are being created to constantly monitor compliance with the nickel mining technology and waste disposal.

Related video: Mikhail Delyagin on the nickel mining project in the Voronezh region

promzn.ru

Where is it produced, how much does it cost and how do we use it everywhere in everyday life

Nickel Facts: Where it is made, how much it costs, and how we use it everywhere in everyday life

We publish answers to these and other questions about, perhaps, the most discussed metal in the Voronezh region

Nickel is the fifth most common element on Earth. Only iron, oxygen, silicon and magnesium are even more common.

Nickel ore is a mineral that is formed from natural minerals with a nickel content in order to make production economically profitable. Sufficient nickel content for development in sulfide ore is 1-2 percent, and in silicate ore - 1-1.5 percent.

Nickel reserves are sufficient. True, if we are talking about those that can be extracted with economic benefits, then their volumes are limited. Nickel reserves on land have now been proven - at the current rate of production, they will be enough for more than a hundred years. Some sources believe that there is many times more nickel on the seabed.

Nickel production in the world

Growth in primary nickel production supported strong economic growth until 2007. This year, world production of primary nickel amounted to 1.411 million tons.

Read also >>> The history of the study of nickel content in our region: who, how and when found ore deposits in the Voronezh region

The economic crisis reduced nickel production from 2008 to 2009. Primary metal began to produce 1.316 million tons. In 2010, production recovered to 1.442 million tons. And next year it grew to 1.602 million tons.

Countries - leaders in the production of primary nickel

The largest nickel producing countries are China, Russia, Japan, Australia and Canada. China has the most notable growth. For example, in 1994 China produced 30,000 tons of primary nickel. And in 2004, the volume of metal production amounted to 75 thousand tons. In 2015, nickel product production facilities exceeded 550 thousand tons, including 390 thousand tons of nickel cast iron and 150 thousand tons of cathode nickel.

Experts estimated the world's predicted nickel reserves in the bowels at 190-200 million tons. Unique metal reserves, which exceed 20 million tons, are located in Cuba and New Caledonia. Canada and Indonesia have very large reserves, exceeding 10 million tons. These four countries, in fact, represent more than half of the nickel reserves. Another 18 countries have nickel reserves from 1 to 10 million tons.

The leader in proven nickel reserves is Cuba, followed by New Caledonia, followed by Canada and South Africa. In world reserves, their share exceeds 67 percent. We are talking about such countries as Indonesia, Brazil, Guatemala, Greece.

What ores are processed in Russia

In Russia, more than 70 percent of nickel is obtained from the extraction and processing of copper-nickel ores, and the rest from oxidized nickel ores.

Read also >>> Candidate chemical sciences VSU: “Nickel should not be circled and crossed out”

Sulphide copper-nickel ores are now being developed in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and on the Kola Peninsula. They are merged into the Norilsk Nickel Concern.

Oxidized nickel ores are mined and processed in the Urals. These are the enterprises of Yuzhuralnickel, PA Ufaleynickel and the Rezhsky Nickel Plant.

Nickel consumption in the world

Experts separate primary and final consumers of nickel. The former include those industries that consume nickel. And the second are the industries that produce goods containing nickel.

The main primary consumers of nickel are stainless steel producers (more than 67 percent). Nickel is also used in special alloys (more than 13 percent), in electroplating (9 percent), casting (almost 3 percent), in copper alloys (1.6 percent) and others.

The final consumers of nickel are the production of machines and mechanisms (24 percent), transport (21 percent) and metal goods (15 percent). Next come electrical mechanisms and machines (13 percent), the construction industry (10 percent) and so on.

The main consumers of nickel are China, the European Union, Japan, the USA, Taiwan and South Korea.

The INSG estimate shows that nickel consumption in 2015 increased from 1.87 million tons to 1.94 million tons. This happened due to the growth in demand in America and Asia.

World Nickel Prices

Nickel prices have shown volatility over the past 40 years. The peak came at the end of the 80s of the last century. In the first half of the 1990s, when the USSR collapsed, there was a surge in nickel exports. As a result, prices have fallen below the cost of production.

Until 2003, the price of nickel did not exceed $10,000 per ton. In 2005, the price reached 14 thousand dollars, and in May 2007 it showed a maximum of 52.179 thousand dollars per ton.

Read also >>>“There are no environmental violations during the exploration of the Elanskoye and Elkinskoye deposits!”

Until the end of 2008, the nickel price was declining, reaching a minimum of 9,679 thousand dollars per ton.

In 2009 prices went up again. And by the end of 2010, the price of one ton of nickel reached 24,103 thousand dollars.

In 2011, the price again showed an increase. Nickel peaked in February at $28,247.

At the end of 2013, the price of nickel declined again. This time up to 14 thousand dollars per ton.

In January 2014, a ban on the export of raw ores in Indonesia pushed prices up to $20,000 in July 2014. However, then it regularly fell.

In 2015, the average nickel price was about $11,000 per ton.

Nickel price according to London Metall Ezchange >>>

Read all materials on the topic of nickel development in the Voronezh region.

novostivoronezha.ru

How ore is mined and metal is smelted. Norilsk Nickel.

Norilsk Nickel is Russia's largest and one of the world's largest companies producing precious and non-ferrous metals.
The Polar Division of MMC Norilsk Nickel is located in the Norilsk industrial region on the Taimyr Peninsula, which is part of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, which is located entirely above the Arctic Circle.
The transport connection of the branch with other regions of the country is carried out along the Yenisei River and the Northern Sea Route (only in the warm season), as well as by air.

Norilsk is a city in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, 90 km east of the Yenisei. It owes its appearance to the construction of the world's largest mining and, at the same time, metal-producing plant. There are no analogues of the Norilsk industrial region (including the city) anywhere in the world.

View of Leninsky Prospekt, the Old Town and Mount Schmidtikh.
Norilsk is the second largest city in the world in terms of population, located beyond the Arctic Circle after Murmansk.
In total, more than 170 thousand people live in the Norilsk industrial region. It is surprising that despite the harsh climate, it is not "shift workers" that live here, but entire generations of families who are not going to leave anywhere.

The city has polar days and polar nights.
The polar day at the latitude of Norilsk lasts about 2 months (the sun moves in a circle without touching the horizon), the polar night lasts about 1.5 months (the streets are completely dark and the lights do not turn off).

Guards Square and Leninsky Prospekt are the main squares and streets of the city.
In the architecture of many buildings in Norilsk, there is a stylistic similarity with the architecture of Leningrad / Petersburg - this is due to the fact that Leningrad architects participated in the construction of Norilsk.

Talnakh deposit. Mine Taimyrsky
A cage is used to descend into the mine.
The deepest cage shaft goes into the ground at 1532 meters!

Dispatcher's console for lifting the shaft.
The cage is lowered to a depth of more than a kilometer in 5-7 minutes.

Horizon "minus 1100 meters".
At this mark is a kind of "waiting room".
The starting point underground is the passenger station, by the way, one of the deepest in the world.

Tracks for mine cars

Underground trains are powered by electricity, which is supplied through a contact wire.

Mountain passenger transport

The developed system of underground roads in the mines is estimated at thousands (!!!) kilometers.

Self-propelled drilling rig while drilling a vertical well

Cabin of the drill master

Mobile drilling rig manipulator

Excavation

Shipment of the rock mass is carried out using a load-delivery machine (LHD)
The carrying capacity of such LHDs is 14 tons, the bucket volume is about 4.7 cubic meters, the power is 335 horsepower

Front wheel of a load haul truck
The chain is dressed to save the wheels from wear.

It is interesting that before the excavation of the mine working, the driver leaves the LHD.
Further work is carried out using the remote control remote control, and the driver himself remains on the sidelines for safe distance and manage loading. As soon as the bucket is full, the driver returns to the cab and goes to unload

The temperature in the mine is much higher than on the surface and can exceed 30 degrees Celsius due to the proximity to the bowels of the Earth. Comfortable working conditions are maintained only thanks to powerful ventilation

Tipper chamber.
Crushing plants are mounted just below the tippers, where the ore is crushed to the required fraction, after which it is sent to the batching plant on conveyors, and from there to the surface.

Shop for repair and maintenance of underground mining equipment

Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant. B.I. Kolesnikova
It is here that the mined and enriched ore comes.
The pyrometallurgical production process processes nickel and copper concentrates from the Talnakh concentrator, sulfide concentrate from the hydrometallurgical production and copper concentrate from the Nickel Plant's CRF.

Workshop for pouring matte into molds

converter department. Unloading slag into the ladle.

smelter

pouring melt

Overhead crane operator

Perhaps, he has the most responsible and "hottest" job in the converter department.
He operates the crane directly over the molten metal

You can breathe inside the converter compartment only through a mask

Mechanized converter cleaning

Anode furnaces

Casting a copper mold

The finished products of the plant are matte, copper anodes and elemental sulfur. The matte is sent for further processing to the Nickel Plant and the Severonickel Combine, and the anode copper is sent to the Copper Plant.

I thank the press service and the management of MMC Norilsk Nickel for organizing the photo shoot!

Taken from gelio to Norilsk Nickel. Depth 1.1 km and temperature +1000°C

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Nickel and copper - deposits of nickel and copper

nickel ore- a type of minerals containing chemical element nickel in such quantities and chemical compounds that its extraction is not only possible, but also economically viable. Usually these are deposits of sulfide (nickel content 1-2%) and silicate (nickel content 1-1.5%) ores. The most important include frequently occurring minerals: sulfides (pentlandite, millerite, nickeline, nickel pyrrhotite, polydymite, cobalt-nickel pyrite, and others), hydrous silicates (garnierite, annabergite, hovakhsite, revdinskite, shewhardite, nickel nontronites) and nickel chlorites. Copper ores are natural mineral formations, the copper content of which is sufficient for the economically profitable extraction of this metal. Of the many known minerals containing copper, about 17 are used on an industrial scale: native copper, bornite, chalcopyrite (copper pyrites), chalcosine (copper luster), covelline, bournonite, fahlore (cuprite, tenorite, malachite, azurite and others).

The following types of deposits are of industrial importance: copper pyrite, skarn copper-magnetite, copper-titanomagnetite and copper-porphyry.

They lie among the volcanic rocks of the ancient period. Numerous terrestrial and underwater volcanoes were active during this period. Volcanoes emitted sulfurous gases and hot waters saturated with metals - iron, copper, zinc, etc. From them, ores consisting of iron, copper and zinc sulfides, called pyrites, were deposited on the seabed and in the underlying rocks. The main mineral of sulfide ores is pyrite, or sulfur pyrite, which makes up the predominant part (50–90%) of the volume of sulfide ores.

Most of the mined nickel is used for the production of heat-resistant, structural, tool, stainless steels and alloys. A small part of nickel is spent on the production of nickel and copper-nickel rolled products, for the manufacture of wire, tapes, various equipment for industry, as well as in aviation, rocket science, and in the production of equipment for nuclear power plants, production of radar devices. In industry, nickel alloys with copper, zinc, aluminum, chromium and other metals.

Types of nickel deposits:

Magmatic sulfide copper-nickel deposits

The initial accumulation of sulfides occurs in the process of intrusion, differentiation and segregation of the initially homogeneous nickel-bearing melt into two liquids: silicate and sulfide components. The sulfide melt descends, concentrates and crystallizes after the crystallization of the silicate melt. Nickel-bearing magma rises along deep faults that penetrate into the mantle and determine the geological position of ore regions and fields of copper-nickel deposits. Deposits of sulfide copper-nickel ores are concentrated in zones of deep faults on ancient shields and platforms. Ores are mostly deposited in layers.

Poor ores (up to 1.5% nickel) are enriched. Rich ores (containing more than 1.5% nickel) go into production without beneficiation. From copper-nickel ores, in addition to nickel, copper, cobalt, platinum group metals, gold, silver, sulfur, selenium, and tellurium are also extracted.

Silicate nickel ores weathering crusts

Deposits of silicate nickel ores are closely related to one or another type of weathering crust. During weathering, the decomposition of minerals and the transfer of mobile elements from upper parts bark to the bottom. These elements then precipitate out as secondary minerals.

Nickel reserves in deposits of this type are 3 times higher than its reserves in sulfide ores. Some contain more than a million tons of nickel. The average nickel content in them is 1.1-2%. These ores also contain cobalt.

Depending on the geological structure, two types of silicate-nickel deposits are distinguished - areal and linear. Areal are formed on fairly homogeneous arrays with flat surface, and linear - at the contacts of the main rocks with other rocks (limestones) or along faults.

Deposits of copper and nickel ores in Russia:

Serov silicate-nickel deposit

It is located in the Urals, 10 km northwest of the city of Serov, on the areas of the Kola, Usteisky and Vagransky massifs. The massifs are divided by faults into three blocks. The central one is raised, while the western and eastern ones are lowered. Three zones are distinguished in the geological section: ocher, leached serpentinites, disintegrated serpentinites.

The thickness of the ore bodies is on average 10-12 m. The main nickel-containing minerals are montmorillonite, nontronite, chlorite and iron hydroxides. Nickel content ranges from 1.0 to 1.52%. The Serov deposit is the largest in the Middle Urals, nickel reserves here amount to several hundred thousand tons.

Rogozhinskoe field

It is located in the northwestern part of the Ufaley massif in the submeridional fault zone inside the latter. Serpentinites in the fault zone are crushed and partially replaced by carbonates and ocher, and in some places by siliceous-ocher formations. The thickness is 100–150 m. At depths of 100–150 m, the ore body sharply decreases in thickness.

Vostochno-Vozhminskoye field

Based in Karelia. Nickel content from 0.4-0.5% in disseminated ores to 3-4% in brecciated and massive ores. The ores also contain: copper 0.22-0.31% and cobalt 0.04-0.06%. Nickel reserves are about 12.9 thousand tons with an average nickel content of 1.25%. Due to the study of deep horizons (more than 300 m), an increase in ore reserves is possible.

Lebyazhinskoye field (Karelia)

Copper-nickel ores are located within two zones: Eastern and Central. Eastern zone, in which the richest ores are known. Within the zone, syngenetic and epigenetic mineralization is developed, with the latter playing a predominant role. A deposit of a ribbon-like shape, 1700 m long, with a seam thickness of 0.2-25.5 m. The ores contain from 0.41 to 8% (on average 0.95-1.33%) nickel and % copper. Nickel reserves are estimated at 20.7 thousand tons (with an average content of 1.33%). .39%.

Svetloozerskoe deposit of copper-nickel ores

Located in the eastern part of the Zapadno-Svetloozersky massif, it is represented by a deposit of complex lenticular shape, up to 1200 m long, 0.2-40 m thick. Disseminated, densely disseminated and vein-disseminated ores. The nickel content is 0.2-11.6%. Nickel reserves are estimated at 25,000 tons.

Podolsk copper-zinc deposit

It is located in the Southern Urals, 180 km south of the city of Magnitogorsk. Pyrite ores are located at a depth of 600 - 800 m and consist mainly of copper-zinc and copper ores. Sulfur-pyrite and vein-disseminated ores are also found in the lower part. The thickness of the layers varies from 5 to 90 m. Basalts occur at depths of 800–1000 m. The average metal content in the ores of the Podolsk deposit is: copper - 1.73%, zinc - 1.05%, lead - 0.13%. Ore reserves at the Podolsky deposit are about 80 million tons.

Udokan copper deposit

The only large undeveloped copper deposit located on the territory of Russia. Located to the east of Lake Baikal, in the Chita region. The Udokan deposit contains between 25% and 60% of the national copper ore reserves and is one of the largest in the world.

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libmetal.com

Nickel deposits | fossil minerals

Place of Birth nickel belong to three genetic types: igneous, hydrothermal and weathering.

Magmatic (liquation) sulfide-nickel deposits- basic industrial type nickel deposits in Russia. The value of deposits is determined by reserves and complexity of ores. In addition to nickel cobalt And copper ores contain platinum, gold, silver, selenium And tellurium, in quantities that ensure their cost-effective associated extraction.

The deposits are formed and located within differentiated intrusions of basic and ultrabasic rocks. Nickel ores were formed during segregation of nickel-bearing magmatic melt. The occurrence of ore bodies is mainly subject to the conditions of occurrence of ore-bearing intrusions. The shape of the bodies is sheet- and plate-like, lenticular. Mineral composition aged ores: pyrrhotite, pentlandite, chalcopyrite, magnetite, etc. In Russia, copper-nickel sulfide deposits are located in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, on the Kola Peninsula. There are large copper-nickel deposits in Canada (the Sedbury region) and South Africa (the Bushveld region), Australia, Finland, and others.

Silicate nickel weathering deposits are associated with one or another type of weathering crust of ultramafic and serpentinites. In Russia, deposits are developed mainly in the Urals, where they are confined to the Late Paleozoic and Mesozoic weathering crust. According to the conditions of formation and the form of occurrence, three types of weathering crust and nickel deposits are distinguished:

• areal (Kempirsayskoye, Serovskoye, deposits of Cuba, etc.),
• linear (deposits of the Ufaley and Polevskoy regions of the Urals),
• linear-areal types (Lipovskoe and others).

The first two types are the most significant.

Areal type deposits are preserved residual covers of the weathering crust on dunites, peridotites and serpentinites. The area of ​​nickel-bearing areas sometimes reaches several square kilometers, the thickness of the weathering crust is 20-70 m. Nickel is concentrated mainly in nontronites, kerolite, in ocher-siliceous formations and in leached serpentinites. Among the ores, ferruginous or nontronite ores, magnesian or serpentinite ores and ocher-siliceous ores containing a large number of hydroxides gland and nickel-depleted (Ni content is tenths of a percent, and Co is hundredths).

The deposits of the linear type are confined to tectonic faults, zones of crushing, fracturing. Along these zones, more intense weathering occurred and to greater depths. The shape of the ore bodies is lenticular and vein-shaped, the dip is often steep. The ores contain garnierite, kerolite and are richer than ores of the areal weathering crust. Large deposits of the weathering crust abroad are located in New Caledonia, Cuba, Indonesia, and Brazil. They are associated with young Neogene-Quaternary weathering crusts.

Nickel, along with aluminum, cobalt, copper, lead, zinc, tin, tungsten, molybdenum, bismuth, antimony, mercury and magnesium, belongs to non-ferrous metals.

BRIEF HISTORICAL INFORMATION. Nickel has been known since ancient times. It was part of the alloys from which coins were minted back in the Bactrian kingdom (200 BC). Various metal products were made from an alloy of nickel, copper and zinc in ancient China. As a chemical element, nickel was first discovered by the Swedish chemist A. Kronsted in 1751 in the mineral nickeline. In the Middle Ages, Saxon miners often encountered accumulations of reddish ores, which they mistook for copper. However, no matter how hard they tried, they could not smelt copper from them, since the melting point of nickel is almost 400º C higher than that of copper. They gave the name to this ore "kupfernickel" ("copper devil"). When A. Cronstedt discovered a new element in this mineral, he called it nickel (“devil”), discarding “kupfer” - copper.

IN late XIX At the beginning of the 20th century, nickel was still considered a very rare metal. Pendants, bracelets and other jewelry were made from it. For the first time, large deposits of nickel, when it was still considered a precious metal, were discovered on about. New Caledonia in the Pacific.

Nickel is a silvery white, refractory metal (melting point 1453º C). It is hard, flexible, malleable, malleable, lends itself well to polishing, and is chemically inactive.

GEOCHEMISTRY. The nickel clark in the earth's crust is 0.0058%. Its content in ultrabasic rocks (1.2·10 -1%) is about 200 times higher than in acidic (8·10 -4%). Five stable isotopes of nickel are known: 58Ni, 60Ni, 61Ni, 62Ni, and 64Ni, among which 58Ni predominates.

Commercial concentrations of nickel are usually associated with mafic-ultramafic magmas associated with subcrustal chambers. It has siderophilic and chalcophilic properties. In ultramafic rocks, nickel is associated, as a rule, with olivines containing 0.13–0.41% Ni, in which it isomorphically replaces Fe and Mg. In the presence of sulfur in the magma, nickel, along with copper and iron, separates in the form of sulfides. In the process of recrystallization of the separated sulfide melt, magmatic deposits of sulfide copper-nickel ores appear.

In the hydrothermal process, together with cobalt, arsenic, sulfur, and sometimes bismuth, uranium and silver, nickel forms elevated concentrations in the form of arsenides and sulfides.

Under exogenous conditions, nickel accumulates in the weathering crust as a result of its leaching from serpentinites and olivine. Going into solution and in the presence of excess CO 2 migrates in the form of bicarbonate Ni(HCO 3) 2 . Its precipitation usually occurs in the lower horizons of weathering crusts, where conditions are created for the formation of aqueous nickel silicates, as well as nickel-containing ferri- and aluminosilicates.

MINERALOGY. There are 45 nickel minerals known. The main minerals of ores of sulfide deposits are pentlandite, millerite and nickeline. Pentlandite(Fe,Ni)S (Ni content 22–42%) (named after the Irish naturalist J. B. Pentland). Crystallizes in the cubic syngony. The aggregates are granular; lamellar and flame-like precipitates in pyrrhotite, formed as a result of the decomposition of a solid solution. The color is bronze-yellow, metallic luster, hardness 3–4, specific gravity 4.5–5 g/cm 3 . Usually contains an admixture of cobalt (up to 3%) and palladium.

Millerite NiS (Ni up to 65%) (by the name of Miller). Crystallizes in trigonal system. Aggregates are granular, radially radiant, tangled fibrous, crusts. Brass-yellow color, metallic luster, hardness 3–3.5, specific gravity 5.6 g/cm 3 . The mineral is found in vein copper-nickel sulfide ores and hydrothermal deposits of complex nickel-cobalt-silver ores.

Nickelin NiAs (Ni up to 44%), crystallizes in the hexagonal syngony. The mineral is pale copper-red in color, gives a brownish-black streak, metallic luster, forms granular, kidney-shaped aggregates with a columnar and radial structure, reticulate and dendritic, hardness 5–5.5, specific gravity 7.8 g / cm 3. Contains an admixture of Fe, S, Sb and Co. Occurs in hydrothermal deposits of complex nickel-cobalt-silver ores.

Among other minerals, sulfur and arsenic compounds of nickel and cobalt should be noted: chloantitis(NiCo)As 2 , gersdorffite(NiCo)AsS and rammelsbergite NiAs 2 .

Nickel silicates (garnierite, nepuite, revdinskite, etc.) developed in weathering crusts are of particular practical importance. Garnierite NiO SiO 2 H 2 O (NiO content 46%) (by the name of the French engineer and mineralogist J. Garnier), light green hydrosilicate. It forms earthy, sinter, cryptocrystalline aggregates.

Nepuit 12NiO 3SiO 2 2H 2 O (NiO 20–46%) is green nickel hydrosilicate with a bluish tint. It crystallizes in a monoclinal syngony, the habit of crystals is lamellar, aggregates are scaly, lamellar, hardness 2–2.5, specific gravity 2.5–3.2 g/cm 3 .

Revdinskit 3(Ni,Mg)O 2SiO 2 2H 2 O (NiO up to 46%) is a greenish-blue nickel hydrosilicate, occurs in paragenesis with garnierite and nepuite.

APPLICATION IN INDUSTRY. Currently, nickel is widely used in metallurgy (about 80% of total consumption) for the production of alloyed steels and alloys. Large consumers of nickel alloys are the tractor and automotive industries, the machine tool industry and the electronics industry. The most widely used alloys are Ni with Cu, Zn, Al (brass, nickel silver, cupronickel, bronze), Ni with Cr (nichrome), coin alloy (75% Cu + 25% Ni) and platinum (49% Ni + 51% Fe ).

In the chemical and food industries, pure nickel is used to make a variety of equipment, including crucibles, pipes, appliances, and evaporating utensils. essential oils. Nickel alloys are used in jet aircraft, rocket science, and in the production of equipment for the nuclear industry. In the XX century. nickel steel was widely used for the production of armor, gun barrels, crankshafts, etc. E.F. Shnyukov wrote in his book “The World of Minerals” that when Germany captured Pechenga in 1942, almost 3 years of occupation were taken out of there about 0.4 million tons of rich (pentlandite) ores. All these years, German industry was supplied by 3/4 with Pechenga ore. However, the "ore route" of the Kola Peninsula - Germany cost the Germans dearly: more than 650 German transports and warships were destroyed along the way.

Currently, nickel is extracted from sulfide, silicate and complex ores. The content of Ni in sulfide ores should be at least 0.5–1.0%, in silicate ores - 1.3%. The lower limit for complex sulfide copper-nickel ores is 0.3%.

RESOURCES AND RESERVES. The total nickel reserves in the world at the beginning of 1997 amounted to 132.2 million tons, confirmed (explored) - 54.96 million tons. Four countries (Russia, Cuba, New Caledonia and Indonesia) account for about 59% of the world's proven nickel reserves (Table 3).

Table 3

Nickel reserves (thousand tons) in some countries

More than 400 nickel ore deposits have been discovered in the world, including 235 sulfide and 155 silicate ore deposits. According to explored reserves, nickel deposits are divided into unique (more than 1 million tons), very large (from 500 thousand tons to 1 million tons), large (from 250 to 500 thousand tons), medium (from 100 to 250 thousand tons) and small (less than 100 thousand tons). The unique deposits that had a significant impact on the development of the nickel industry include the Norilsk-1, Talnakhskoye and Oktyabrskoye sulfide deposits in Russia, the Sudbury and Thompson groups of deposits in Canada, Agnew, Kambalda and Mount Kate in Australia, Jinchuan in China, as well as silicate deposits on the Euboea in Greece, Nepui in New Caledonia, Pomala and Gebe in Indonesia. The initial reserves of each of them exceeded 1 million tons of nickel.

MINING AND PRODUCTION. In 1996–2000 the extraction of nickel ores (in terms of metal) in the world exceeded 1 million tons. Most of the ore was mined at deposits of sulfide (61.2%) and silicate (38.8%) ores. There were 60 mining enterprises in the nickel mining industry, including 32 mines, 23 quarries and 5 combined mining enterprises. Nickel ores were mined in 22 countries. To date, the largest production volumes have been achieved in Russia (27.7% of world production), Canada (18.2%), New Caledonia (11.8%) and Australia (10.7%). The total share of these countries in world nickel production exceeds 78%.

The largest companies include RAO "Norilsk Nickel" in Russia, " inco Ltd» . And " Falconbridge» in Canada and Western Mining Corp." in Australia. RAO "Norilsk Nickel" provides up to 95% of nickel mining and production in Russia. Its structure includes the Norilsk Mining and Metallurgical Combine (NMMC) and the MMC located on the Kola Peninsula Pechenganickel and combine Severonickel.

METALLOGENY AND EPOCH OF ORE FORMATION. Nickel deposits are not characteristic of the geosynclinal stage. At that time, only rare and small hydrothermal deposits of nickel sulfide arsenides appeared, associated with granitoids of the middle and late stages of geosyncline development.

The predominant mass of sulfide copper-nickel deposits was formed at the stage of activation of ancient platforms due to trap magmatism. The main way of formation of such deposits is segregation, caused by a decrease in the solubility of sulfur compounds Fe, Ni and Cu, depending on the content of Fe, S, SiO 2 and Al 2 O 3 in the crystallizing magma. The sulfide and silicate melts formed as a result of segregation of the magma subsequently crystallized independently of each other, and the release of silicates outpaced the release of sulfides by 200–300°C. Depending on the geological and tectonic setting, sulfides could remain in place, forming accumulations of syngenetic ores, or penetrate into cracks in the body of the intrusive and crushing zones at contact with the host rocks, forming "split" bodies of epigenetic copper-nickel ores.

On the shields, ore-bearing massifs of basic and ultrabasic rocks intruded into the zones of intersection of faults and were subjected to stratification during the formation period. The deposits that appeared on the edges of activated platforms are associated with the latest derivatives of layered mafic intrusions. Mineralization is localized in the lower horizons of differentiated intrusions or in underlying rocks.

Exogenous deposits of silicate nickel ores confined to weathering crusts were formed at the platform stage. Depending on the geological structure of ore-bearing areas, the presence or absence of carbonate rocks, and the features of the relief structure, ore deposits of various shapes were formed - mantle-like, vein-like, and more complex, confined to karst cavities.

Nickel deposits arose in various geological epochs. The main factor in the formation of sulfide copper-nickel ores was precambrian ore formation. At this time, the predominant part of the reserves of Canada (the Sudbury area and Lake Lynn, the Mystery Lake, Moak Lake, Thompson deposits), Norway, Finland, Australia and individual deposits in Russia (Monchegorskoye) were formed. In Australia, in the state of Western Australia, more than 30 sulfide ore deposits have been discovered, confined to the Precambrian ultramafic massifs. In terms of the scale of mineralization and nickel mining, the Kambalda deposit stands out, the proven nickel reserves of which amount to 1.1 million tons with an average Ni content of 1.5–2.0%.

IN Early Paleozoic era of ore formation industrial nickel deposits were formed mainly in the north-west of Europe. The largest among them is the Ringerich deposit in Norway.

For late Paleozoic era of ore formation commercial deposits of nickel are not typical. There are hydrothermal cobalt-nickel deposits (Khovuaksy in Tuva) and associated with the weathering crust of ultrabasic massifs (Urals).

IN Mesozoic era of ore formation large deposits of sulfide copper-nickel ores were formed in the Norilsk region (Russia) and in South Africa. In South Africa, the deposits are concentrated in East Griqualand and are associated with the main intrusive rocks occurring among the sedimentary suites of the Karoo system. The scale of mineralization distinguishes the Insizva deposit, whose disseminated and massive ores are confined to the bottom of a large dolerite sill. Silicate nickel ores are common in the Southern Urals, Northwestern Kazakhstan, Brazil and other regions.

IN Cenozoic era of ore formation mainly silicate nickel ores were formed, confined to the weathering crust of massifs of ultramafic rocks. Most deposits of this age are concentrated in Southeast Asia, Central and South America and Oceania. Only those deposits are developed, in the ores of which the Ni content exceeds 1%. The largest deposits are known on about. New Caledonia and Cuba (province of Oriente), as well as in Indonesia (fields of Soroaka, Pamalea, etc.).

GENETIC TYPES OF INDUSTRIAL DEPOSITS. The most important types of commercial nickel deposits are: 1) igneous, 2) plutonogenic hydrothermal, 3) weathering crusts.

Igneous deposits sulfide copper-nickel ores are known in Russia - in the Krasnoyarsk Territory (Norilsk-1, Oktyabrskoye, Talnakhskoye), on the Kola Peninsula (Pechenga, Allarechenskoye), in Sweden (Kleva), Finland (Pori), Canada (Sudbury, Thompson, etc.). ), USA (Stillwater), South Africa (Bushveld, Insizwa) and Australia. All of them are associated with differentiated basic-hyperbasic massifs.

Ore bodies are located inside, along the periphery in the near-bottom part and near parent intrusions. The most characteristic are: 1) sheet-like hanging deposits of disseminated ores; 2) sheet-like and lenticular bottom deposits of massive "schlieren" and vein-disseminated ores; 3) lenses and irregular bodies of near-contact bricche ores; 4) vein-like and vein bodies of massive ores. The sizes of ore bodies vary from a few hundred meters to 1.0–1.5 km along the strike and from several hundred to 800–1000 m along the dip at a thickness of 1–3 to 50 m or more. The mineral composition of ores is rather well sustained. The main ore minerals are pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, pentlandite, minor ones are magnetite, pyrite, cubanite, bornite, polydymite, nickeline, millerite, sperillite, violarite and cooperite.

A typical example of copper-nickel deposits formed on activated platforms is Norilsk field. It is located within the vast Norilsk ore region, confined to the junction of the Siberian platform and the Yenisei folding zone. The main structural element of the area is the Khantaysko-Rybinsk swell, to the east of which is the western edge of the Tunguska syneclise (Syvern plateau), and to the west is a wide trough-shaped trough of the Norilsk plateau. At the base of the complex of rocks that make up the Norilsk Plateau, sedimentary calcareous-argillaceous and marly Devonian rocks occur, which are unconformably overlain by sandy-argillaceous formations of the Middle Carboniferous–Upper Permian, known as the Tunguska series. The thickness of this series is 130–225 m. The sedimentary rocks of the Tunguska series are overlain by a thick sequence of lavas, in which four horizons are distinguished. The lowest of them belongs to the Permian, the rest to the Triassic (Fig. 4).

The Norilsk ore region is a group of copper-nickel deposits, spatially and genetically related to a number of intrusions of differentiated gabbro-dolerites of the second cycle of Triassic volcanism, close to each other in time. They occur in the form of laccolith-like and sheet-like bodies, gently cutting the enclosing rocks. Syngenetic disseminated copper-nickel ores are developed, composed of pyrrhotite (52%), chalcopyrite (28%), pentlandite (20%) and platinum group minerals. In addition, veins of massive ores are common, in some cases having a rather complex shape, and composed of pyrrhotite (70%), chalcopyrite (13%) and pentlandite (17%). The Norilsk ores contain numerous platinum minerals, the number of which increases with an increase in the content of chalcopyrite and cubanite in ores, as well as in the hanging sides of ore veins.

The formation of massive sulfide ores in the Norilsk ore region is associated with deep segregation and the inflow of ore-bearing solutions along faults from magma chambers that cooled at depth. In the Norilsk region there are other deposits of copper-nickel ores - Talnakh, Oktyabrskoye, etc.

Deposits of the Sudbury area located in Canada in the province of Ontario. It is confined to a vast differentiated massif, in plan view, having the shape of an oval with a long axis of sublatitudinal strike up to 60 km and a short axis of 25 km (Fig. 5). In the section, it represents an overturned cone, the top of which is located at a depth of 10 to 25 km from the earth's surface. The massif is composed of a differentiated series of rocks: at the base there are quartz norites, above - gabbro-norites, gabbro and quartz gabbro, passing into granophyres.

Ore deposits have a bedded, veined and lenticular shape. They, as a rule, border the Sudbury massif along its periphery, sometimes retreating into the underlying rocks for several kilometers. The sizes of ore bodies vary considerably and in some deposits reach a length of up to 700 m along strike and up to 600 m along dip with a thickness of up to 20 m. Two types of ores are developed: early norites: 2) rich, vein-like injectable bodies among late norites, breccias, and diorite dikes of underlying rocks. The main ore minerals are pyrrhotite, pentlandite, chalcopyrite and cubanite, minor ones are gersdorfite, nickeline, maucherite, magnetite, bornite, wallerite, etc. The average content of Ni in ores varies from 0.7 to 1.45%, Cu - from 0.8 up to 1.9%. In addition to nickel, copper and cobalt, the ores of the Sudbury area deposits contain gold, silver, platinoids, selenium and tellurium, which are extracted as a by-product.

Plutonogenic hydrothermal deposits. This type includes vein deposits of nickel-cobalt arsenides, often with silver and bismuth. They occur at low and medium temperatures. Deposits of this genetic type are known in Russia (Khovuaksy in Tuva), Morocco (Bu-Azzer), Canada (Eldorado, Cobalt), Germany (Ore Mountains), Finland and Kyrgyzstan. Ore bodies are usually represented by veins and vein-like deposits, which can be traced for tens - the first hundreds of meters along the strike and the same amount along the dip. Their thickness varies from 0.1 to 1.0 m or more, and averages 0.4–0.5 m. The main ore minerals are nickeline, smaltine, chloantite, skutterudite, and safflorite. The deposits differ in ore composition and formation conditions. The most characteristic are the following ore formations: 1) arsenopyrite-glaucodote-cobaltite (Bu-Azzer deposit); 2) smaltin-chloantite-nickel (Hovuaksy); 3) smaltine-chloantite-argentite (Cobalt); 4) five-element formation (Ni–Co–Ag–Bi–U) (Eldorado). This genetic type of deposits plays a sharply subordinate role in terms of nickel reserves and production.

Weathering crust deposits. Nickel-bearing lateritic crusts are formed in a tropical climate during the weathering of basic and ultrabasic rocks. The destruction of olivine and serpentine occurs, in which nickel is isomorphic with magnesium. Nickel was released and moved, often together with cobalt, from the upper horizons of the weathering crust to the lower ones. Here, due to the change in the alkalinity of the solutions, secondary nickel-containing minerals were formed - garnierite, nepuite, revdenskite, nontronite, etc.

According to the shape of ore bodies, the following industrial types are distinguished: 1) mantle-like or areal type; 2) linearly elongated or fractured; 3) contact-karst.

Areal type deposits widespread in Cuba, Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, and also in Russia. The ore consists of a mixture of iron and aluminum hydroxides, clay material mixed with Ni, Cr, Co and Mn. The thickness of the ore zones varies from 3–8 to 25–30 m, the area is measured in several square kilometers. The content of Fe is 30%, Ni - from traces to 2.3%, Co - from traces to 1.7–2%. Ni/Co ratio in ores 10.

Linearly elongated or fractured deposits are controlled by lines of relatively large faults and zones of increased fracturing, traceable in serpentinites. Along these zones, intense weathering occurred, penetrating to a great depth. From the solutions circulating along the cracks, the substances dissolved in them were deposited. There were ocher-siliceous formations. Weathering products were often arranged symmetrically with ocher zones in the center. These zones contain "ore" or "reticulate" breccias, as well as kaolinized and ferruginous serpentinites containing nickel hydrosilicates. The ores are quite rich. Deposits of this type are widespread in New Caledonia and are found in Greece and Russia (Rogozhenskoye, Buryktalskoye, Akkermanovskoye, and others).

Deposits of contact-karst type are confined to tectonic contacts of serpentinites with limestones. The latter are easily leached out under the action of water to form karst voids, which are filled with clay weathering products of serpentinite, shale, and other rocks. Nickel silicates are deposited in karst clays, forming raids, incrustations and veinlets. An example of this group of deposits is Ufaleyskoye field dated to the tectonic contact of limestones and serpentinites. Ores are composed of destroyed serpentinites, talc-carbonate rocks, as well as various detrital, clayey and ocher-clayey formations, in which nickel hydrosilicates and manganese hydroxides are developed. Nickel-based asbolanes and psilomelan-vads predominate.

ORE APPEARANCES IN BELARUS. Copper-nickel occurrences are usually controlled by small intrusions of ultramafic - basic rocks developed within the Smolevichi-Drogichinskaya zone of the Belarusian crystalline massif and its southern slopes. Among them, one stands out ore occurrence - Stolbtsovskoye located in the Minsk region near the village of Stetski. Metal-bearing is the eponymous massif of basic - ultrabasic rocks of the Rusinovka complex, composed of gabbro, olivine gabbro and anorthosites, in the upper part transformed into schists of chlorite-tremolite-actinolite composition. The main ore minerals are chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite, while the minor ones are pentlandite and cubanite. These minerals are present as fine disseminated disseminations or filamentous veinlets. Their content in rocks usually does not exceed a few percent, and the thickness of ore-bearing zones varies from tens of centimeters to 1–4 m. The concentration of copper in mineralized zones reaches 0.2–0.8%, and nickel - 0.2–0.5% . The probable resources of nickel in category P 3 are estimated at 67 thousand tons. Exploration work carried out in the last decade within the Stolbtsovsky intrusion did not reveal rich ore zones with industrial concentrations of Cu and Ni.

Sometimes the question is raised whether there is a danger of exhaustion of the planet's natural resources. In the case of nickel, there appears to be little cause for concern. Nickel is the fifth most abundant element on earth. Only iron, oxygen, silicon and magnesium are more abundant. However, the reserves that can be extracted economically are of course more limited. Nickel reserves refer to proven reserves in onshore deposits. Nickel resources (estimated at twice the nickel reserves) cover sub-economic reserves, i.e. not recoverable with a profit. Development of new technological processes will cause some of these resources to become a reserve base. Constant exploration continues to add volume to both reserves and resources. According to some sources, nickel resources on the seabed are many times greater than those on land. Land resources are thought to last more than 100 years at current mining rates.

Nickel production in the world

Strong global economic growth until 2007 supported growth in primary nickel metal production. In 2007, world production of primary nickel amounted to 1.411 million tons. However, the economic crisis led to a decline in nickel production worldwide between 2008 and 2009, and primary metal production fell to 1.316 Mt. Production quickly recovered in 2010 to 1.442 Mt and further increased to 1.602 Mt in 2011. The annual average production growth between 2001 and 2011 was 3.1%.

A new product - nickel iron (NPI) - began to be produced in China in 2005 in various forms and varieties. Production increased slowly over the first few years: in 2010 it was estimated at more than 160 thousand tons, and in 2015 - about 390 thousand tons. Basically, all this product is used in the domestic market in China in the production of stainless steel, and has replaced traditional products such as nickel metal and stainless steel scrap. In addition to NPI's new products in China, several other nickel projects have been launched around the world. Examples are Barro Alto and Onca Puma in Brazil, with a total capacity of around 95,000 tons per year. The Ambatovy project with a capacity of 60 thousand tons began to operate in Madagascar. Myanmar launched its first nickel project at Tagaung Taung, which began production in 2013. In New Caledonia, the 57,000 capacity Goro Vale project is currently in its ramp-up phase. Global production of primary nickel was 1.98 Mt in 2014. In the period 2011-2015, the annual growth rate averaged 5.5%.

As of 2015, the world leader in nickel production is the Brazilian-Canadian company - Vale Inco Ltd., with a production volume of 291 thousand tons per year. Further, in terms of production volume, MMC Norilsk Nickel (Russia) and the Chinese Jinchuan Group Co. follow. Ltd, whose nickel production in 2015 amounted to 266.4 thousand tons and 150.0 thousand tons, respectively.

The largest primary nickel producing countries are China, Russia, Japan, Australia and Canada. Moreover, China has made a real breakthrough in recent years. So, if in 1994 Chinese enterprises produced only 30 thousand tons of primary nickel, then in 2004 the volume of production of this metal amounted to about 75 thousand tons. In 2015, the production of nickel products in China amounted to more than 550 thousand tons, including approximately 390 thousand tons of nickel pig iron and more than 150 thousand tons of cathode nickel.

Five largest nickel producers in the world, thousand tons/year

World Nickel Consumption

In the nickel market, it is customary to distinguish between primary and final consumers. Primary consumers are those industries that consume nickel directly. End-users are industries that produce final nickel-containing products. The main primary consumers of nickel are stainless steel producers. They account for about 2/3 of all consumption in the world. Nickel is also used in the production of special steels and alloys, electroplating (nickel plating), catalysts, batteries, etc.

The main final consumers of nickel are transport, mechanical engineering, construction, the chemical industry, the production of tableware and other household products.

The main countries (groups of countries) consumers of nickel are China, the European Union, Japan, the USA, Taiwan and South Korea. It should be clarified that since 2009, China has been in first place in the world in terms of the use of refined nickel (52% of world demand in 2015).

Interestingly, in the country's nickel market, the main producers of this metal, with the possible exception of Japan and China, are not its main consumers.

According to INSG estimates, nickel consumption in 2015 increased to 1.94 million tons from 1.87 million tons in 2014, mainly due to increased demand in Asia and America.

Nickel consumption in the world in recent years has been growing mainly due to an increase in demand for this metal from Chinese stainless steel producers, for the production of which about 2/3 of nickel produced in the world is used.

With a fairly stable demand for nickel from China, in recent years there has been growing activity in buying nickel in other Asian countries, as well as in the United States. In Europe, the demand for the metal remains quite moderate so far.

Balance of the global nickel market in 2006-2015, million tons*

*Data from International Nickel Study Group

In 2015, according to INSG specialists, the global nickel market experienced a surplus of 20 thousand tons, with a production volume of 1.98 million tons and a consumption level of 1.89 million tons.

Nickel prices have shown significant volatility over the past forty years. In the late 1980s, nickel prices peaked. In the first half of the 1990s, the economic collapse of the countries of the former "Eastern bloc" led to a surge in nickel exports, which led to nickel prices falling below the cost of production, resulting in a reduction in nickel production in the "West". Until 2003, the nickel price remained below $10,000/t. The price reached $14,000/t. in 2005 and then jumped sharply in 2006 before peaking at $52,179k/t. in May 2007. Nickel prices then declined until the end of 2008, when the average cash price hit a low of $9,678k/t in December. At the beginning of 2009 nickel prices began to grow again and reached 24.103 thousand USD/t. by the end of 2010. In 2011, the price continued to grow and peaked in February - 28.247 thousand USD/t, and did not decrease until the end of 2013, when it fell below 14 thousand USD/t. The initial reaction to Indonesia's ban on raw ore exports in January 2014 pushed nickel prices up to almost $20k/t. in July 2014, but since then the price has declined almost every month.

In 2015, the nickel price quotations felt the bitterness of defeat. On average for the year, metal prices amounted to about 11.8 thousand dollars per ton, which is much lower (16.9 thousand dollars per ton) than a year earlier.

Nickel prices continue to develop a bearish trend against the backdrop of a slowdown in the economy of China, the largest consumer of industrial metals. The debt crisis in the Eurozone in recent years has significantly affected the volume of Chinese exports - accordingly, the demand of the Celestial Empire for metals and raw materials in general is also falling. In the first half of 2016, nickel prices fell to $8.3 thousand per ton, but then grew slightly.

World prices for nickel, USD/t

Nickel inventories at the LME were relatively stable between 2001 and 2005 at around 20,000 tons. Stocks rose slightly in 2005 and declined again in 2006. Over the period from 2007 to 2009, stocks increased rapidly to over 158,000 tons at the end of the period. In 2010 and 2011 there was a decrease in stocks, which at the end of December 2011 reached 91,000 tons. From the beginning of 2012 to March 2016, there was a long period of inventory growth. In June 2015, the LME's nickel inventory reached over 470,000 tonnes. In the second quarter of 2015, the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) launched a nickel contract and stocks rose to 73,000 tons in March 2016. As of the end of March 2016, the combined stocks of LME and SHFE were over 500,000 tons. However, in mid-2016, LME stocks decreased slightly to 377,000 tons.

Prospects for the global nickel market

The International Nickel Study Group (INSG) forecasts that the surplus in the global primary nickel market will level out in 2016 compared to 2015, as demand growth outpaces supply growth. INSG forecasts a nickel deficit of around 49kt compared to a surplus of around 90kt in 2015. Nickel production will fall 3.5% year-on-year in 2016, and production will be 1.91 million tons, while nickel consumption is expected to increase by 3.8%, to 1.96 million tons. In 2014 Nickel production in the world decreased by 0.3% in annual terms, while demand rose by 0.6%.

Indonesia's 2012 ban on exports of nickel ore has caused declines in real supplies of the material to China, according to INSG observations, although the country's production of nickel pig iron (a raw material for stainless steel production) has fallen more slowly than forecast two years ago.

According to Morgan Stanley forecast, the price of nickel will be $10,692 thousand tons in 2016 and $12,236 thousand per ton in 2017.