LATERITE EFFECT For years, nickel kings processed nickel sulphides.
Yet, nickel sulphide deposites are becomming quite rare.
Take for instance Sudbury,
is there enough nickel sulphide to keep the Big Nickel going ?
Just nickel... not nickel equivalents.
Were the sulphide forcasters wrong ?
Entire industry was built around sulphide nickel.
Globally speaking,
40% sulphide deposits
60% silicate / laterite
What happens when nickel sulphide deposits run out ?
Question really is, have they ?
Why else would the nickel kings run to Indonesia's nickel laterite ?
Yet...those laterite deposits are not as robust as most were told.
Indonesia's low on nickel.
Did Govt's run off to Korea and Japan to set up processing plants ?
Good question.
Could we soon see sulphide nickel kings make an about face and
revamp their operations to accommodate - laterite / silicate nickel deposits ?
It could mean...
Nickel spot would have to rise in price.
Match the current profits of what nickel kings have become acustomed to.
After all, profits feed the wages which keep the economies going )
The attractant ?
Iron and Magnesium profits off setting the higher grade sulphides.
Magnesium = Auto industry and so many other industries.
Iron = same.
Which places into perspective
Profits from laterite nickel ( plus ) magnesium and iron could prove far more profitable than,
Single nickel sulphide deposits.
Did the nickel king forcastors / advisors miss guage the laterite market potential ?
Missed market shift with depleting nickel sulphides ?
Never set processing plants up near laterite ore bodies ?
Was Voisey Bay the first sign - shipping nickel sulphide to Sudbury ?
Running to Indonesia ?
While at all cost,
reject backyard laterite deposits ?
Vale and Glencore are accualy considering to mine their own waste tailings.
They mine sulphide nickel.
Use sulphuric acid.
BUT.... are the tailings really sulphide because of the acids, or...coild this waste
be moreso, silicate serpentines ???
Was Agnico Eagle investment in, CNC moreso just an investment ?
Strategic move, knowing Sudbury could be desperate for nickel ore ?
Could foreign relations ( Korea, Indo ) come crashing down ?
Too reliant on foreign processing ?
Should the nickel kings reconsider setting up NEW silicate nickel plants ?
= Across Canada
Why isn't USA doing so ?
This involves the concentrate market, post profits beyond concentrate.
Wink.
Nickel mining like its 1864
https://www.mining.com/web/nickel-mining-like-its-1864/
EXCERPT
I DISAGREE WITH THIS
Fine Grind with right acid = captures the nickel.
Nickel Laterite deposits – principal ore minerals are nickeliferous limonite (Fe,Ni)O(OH) and garnierite (a hydrous nickel silicate) – are formed from the weathering (nickel sulphides are converted to oxide ores) of ultramafic rocks and are usually operated as open pit mines. There is no simple separation technique for nickel laterites. The rock must be completely molten or dissolved to enable nickel extraction. As a result, laterite projects require large economies of scale at higher capital cost per unit of capacity to be viable. They are also generally much higher cash-cost producers than sulphide operations.
Title of the article has it about right
In terms of, nothing's change since 1864
Just maybe the nickel sulphide kings will bow to laterites.
All those yrs of, 50/50 ( tease )
Make way for the laterite kings.
I'm hoping the Sudbury nickel kings,
are not really wanting to mine their own tailings, eather,
reconfigure their processing plants to = laterites.
Cheers...