Peculiarities of Dynamics of Hypergenic Mineral Transformation of Nickel Weathering Crusts of Ultramafic Rocks of the Kempirsay Group of Deposits in Western Kazakhstan
Nickel weathering ores are used to produce metallic nickel, stainless steels, and nickel sulfate, the main component of batteries. The global production of nickel from weathering ores is increasing and has surpassed production from sulfide magmatic deposits. The efficiency of the mining and processi...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Minerals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/12/5/650 |
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| author | Valeriy Korobkin Iskander Samatov Akhan Chaklikov Zhamal Tulemissova |
| author_facet | Valeriy Korobkin Iskander Samatov Akhan Chaklikov Zhamal Tulemissova |
| author_sort | Valeriy Korobkin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Nickel weathering ores are used to produce metallic nickel, stainless steels, and nickel sulfate, the main component of batteries. The global production of nickel from weathering ores is increasing and has surpassed production from sulfide magmatic deposits. The efficiency of the mining and processing of nickel ores from weathering rocks is determined by their mineralogical composition. The weathering crust profile of the Kempirsay ultramafite massif is divided into three zones—leached (kerolitized) serpentinites, nontronites, and final hydrolysis minerals (later referred to as “ochers”). The kerolitized zone consists of a mixture of Ni-bearing talc and saponites (later referred to as “kerolite”). During the geological mapping of the Donskoye, Buranovskoye, and Shelektinskoye deposits, the products of ultramafite hypergenic transformation into disintegrated and leached serpentinites, kerolites, nontronites, and ochers were selected and studied. For this purpose, 44 rock samples were studied via X-ray diffractometric and thermal analyses, supplemented with data from chemical, microscopic, and granulometric determinations. Based on the obtained numerical parameters of the crystalline structure of the weathering products, the thermochemical values were obtained. The hypergenic transformation of the initial minerals and their subsequent transformation were traced. The trace element distribution along the profile of the serpentinite weathering ores is related to the initial material composition of the ultramafites. The accumulation of nickel in industrial concentrations is associated with the nontronite–kerolite zone. X-ray diffractometric analysis can be used as a fast and reliable method for controlling the nickel content of ores and monitoring their mineralogical composition. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:21:00Z |
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| id | doaj.art-51fa6fb8ced645ad99ea6fac14f7e405 |
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| issn | 2075-163X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:21:00Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Minerals |
| spelling | doaj.art-51fa6fb8ced645ad99ea6fac14f7e4052023-11-23T12:20:01ZengMDPI AGMinerals2075-163X2022-05-0112565010.3390/min12050650Peculiarities of Dynamics of Hypergenic Mineral Transformation of Nickel Weathering Crusts of Ultramafic Rocks of the Kempirsay Group of Deposits in Western KazakhstanValeriy Korobkin0Iskander Samatov1Akhan Chaklikov2Zhamal Tulemissova3Faculty of Geology and Geological Exploration, Kazakh-British Technical University, Almaty 050000, KazakhstanFaculty of Geology and Geological Exploration, Kazakh-British Technical University, Almaty 050000, KazakhstanFaculty of Geology and Geological Exploration, Kazakh-British Technical University, Almaty 050000, KazakhstanFaculty of Geology and Geological Exploration, Kazakh-British Technical University, Almaty 050000, KazakhstanNickel weathering ores are used to produce metallic nickel, stainless steels, and nickel sulfate, the main component of batteries. The global production of nickel from weathering ores is increasing and has surpassed production from sulfide magmatic deposits. The efficiency of the mining and processing of nickel ores from weathering rocks is determined by their mineralogical composition. The weathering crust profile of the Kempirsay ultramafite massif is divided into three zones—leached (kerolitized) serpentinites, nontronites, and final hydrolysis minerals (later referred to as “ochers”). The kerolitized zone consists of a mixture of Ni-bearing talc and saponites (later referred to as “kerolite”). During the geological mapping of the Donskoye, Buranovskoye, and Shelektinskoye deposits, the products of ultramafite hypergenic transformation into disintegrated and leached serpentinites, kerolites, nontronites, and ochers were selected and studied. For this purpose, 44 rock samples were studied via X-ray diffractometric and thermal analyses, supplemented with data from chemical, microscopic, and granulometric determinations. Based on the obtained numerical parameters of the crystalline structure of the weathering products, the thermochemical values were obtained. The hypergenic transformation of the initial minerals and their subsequent transformation were traced. The trace element distribution along the profile of the serpentinite weathering ores is related to the initial material composition of the ultramafites. The accumulation of nickel in industrial concentrations is associated with the nontronite–kerolite zone. X-ray diffractometric analysis can be used as a fast and reliable method for controlling the nickel content of ores and monitoring their mineralogical composition.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/12/5/650Kempirsay ultramafite massifnickel weathering crustsserpentinitenontronitekerolitenickel ores |
| spellingShingle | Valeriy Korobkin Iskander Samatov Akhan Chaklikov Zhamal Tulemissova Peculiarities of Dynamics of Hypergenic Mineral Transformation of Nickel Weathering Crusts of Ultramafic Rocks of the Kempirsay Group of Deposits in Western Kazakhstan Minerals Kempirsay ultramafite massif nickel weathering crusts serpentinite nontronite kerolite nickel ores |
| title | Peculiarities of Dynamics of Hypergenic Mineral Transformation of Nickel Weathering Crusts of Ultramafic Rocks of the Kempirsay Group of Deposits in Western Kazakhstan |
| title_full | Peculiarities of Dynamics of Hypergenic Mineral Transformation of Nickel Weathering Crusts of Ultramafic Rocks of the Kempirsay Group of Deposits in Western Kazakhstan |
| title_fullStr | Peculiarities of Dynamics of Hypergenic Mineral Transformation of Nickel Weathering Crusts of Ultramafic Rocks of the Kempirsay Group of Deposits in Western Kazakhstan |
| title_full_unstemmed | Peculiarities of Dynamics of Hypergenic Mineral Transformation of Nickel Weathering Crusts of Ultramafic Rocks of the Kempirsay Group of Deposits in Western Kazakhstan |
| title_short | Peculiarities of Dynamics of Hypergenic Mineral Transformation of Nickel Weathering Crusts of Ultramafic Rocks of the Kempirsay Group of Deposits in Western Kazakhstan |
| title_sort | peculiarities of dynamics of hypergenic mineral transformation of nickel weathering crusts of ultramafic rocks of the kempirsay group of deposits in western kazakhstan |
| topic | Kempirsay ultramafite massif nickel weathering crusts serpentinite nontronite kerolite nickel ores |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/12/5/650 |
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