EV Nickel Inc., based in Toronto, has made significant advancements in the bioleaching of nickel from its W4 Nickel Project near Timmins, Ontario. The company recently reported impressive results from its pilot-scale testing, demonstrating an extraction efficiency exceeding 90%. This breakthrough underscores the company’s commitment to sustainable practices and positions it as a leader in environmentally friendly nickel production.
The pilot program operated continuously for 11 days, followed by an additional 5 days of batch processing.
Results showed a nickel extraction rate of 90.1% and cobalt extraction of 89.6% by the sixth day. These efficiencies indicate strong potential for scaling this process in future operations.
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The facts
Bioleaching leverages naturally occurring bacteria to extract metals from ores without traditional, energy-intensive methods such as smelting or roasting. This technique reduces initial investment costs and lowers operational expenses by minimizing energy consumption and simplifying material handling.
By facilitating on-site processing, bioleaching reduces the need for transporting concentrates over long distances, thus lowering transportation costs and enabling companies to retain more profit margins. Additionally, this method significantly decreases greenhouse gas emissions, avoiding harmful byproducts like sulfur dioxide and excessive acid usage.
Key findings from the pilot program
The pilot program, conducted in collaboration with RPC Metallurgical Services and EPCM Services Ltd., validated the viability of EV Nickel’s flotation-bioleach processing flowsheet. Under continuous operation, the testing achieved impressive extraction rates, with some batch tests reaching up to 98.9% for nickel and 98.8% for cobalt extraction within just four days.
Furthermore, the program demonstrated that the process can accommodate a solids density of 15-20%, with estimated continuous retention times ranging from four to six days. This flexibility suggests strong potential for scaling while maintaining high extraction rates.
Metals recovery and product quality
In addition to nickel and cobalt extraction, the program successfully recovered magnesium as a by-product, offering further economic benefits. Comprehensive metals recovery testing indicated a recovery rate of over 99% for nickel and cobalt as mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP), achieving more than 99% iron removal with minimal losses of other metals.
Notably, the pilot program produced nickel sulfate (NiSO₄·6H₂O) with a purity level reaching up to 98.2%. This high-purity output is crucial for meeting the growing demand from electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturers, linking EV Nickel’s operations to the expanding green energy sector.
The future of EV Nickel and the nickel industry
As EV Nickel moves forward, the success of this pilot program marks a pivotal moment in the company’s evolution. Paul Davis, the Vice President of Exploration, stated that these results pave the way for advancing toward a full-scale bioleaching facility at the W4 Project. The company is also exploring partnerships with other project owners to implement bioleaching solutions across the nickel sector.
The preliminary design criteria established for a bioleach circuit, aimed at processing 800 tonnes of W4 nickel ore per day, lays the groundwork for future engineering and economic evaluations. Continuous optimization efforts will focus on enhancing oxygen transfer efficiency and refining the crystallization process of nickel sulfate, ensuring EV Nickel remains at the forefront of sustainable nickel production.
The pilot program operated continuously for 11 days, followed by an additional 5 days of batch processing. Results showed a nickel extraction rate of 90.1% and cobalt extraction of 89.6% by the sixth day. These efficiencies indicate strong potential for scaling this process in future operations.0
