BRIN develops multi-ore nickel refining process to reduce waste

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Researchers at Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) have developed an innovative nickel refining process capable of processing both saprolite and limonite ores simultaneously while significantly reducing industrial waste.

The technology, which adapts the conventional Caron process to better suit Indonesia's nickel resources, has earned five patents for BRIN's Metallurgy Research Center team, the agency announced in a statement on Wednesday.

Unlike conventional refining methods that typically process only one type of nickel ore, the new process can handle both saprolite and limonite ores within a single refining sequence.

The capability is expected to improve processing flexibility as the quality and composition of nickel deposits continue to evolve.

Lead researcher Iwan Setiawan said nickel ore generally contains only 1–2 percent nickel, meaning that more than 98 percent of the material could become waste if not properly utilized.

"Nickel ore generally contains only about 1 to 2 percent nickel," Setiawan said. "This means more than 98 percent of the remaining material could potentially become waste if not utilized. Therefore, any processing method must be able to optimize the utilization of all components contained within the ore."

To address this challenge, the BRIN-developed process recovers not only nickel but also other valuable minerals, substantially reducing waste generation.

The technology also shifts away from conventional high-energy pyrometallurgical processing by employing a modified Caron process, reducing energy consumption while maximizing the recovery of valuable materials.

Instead of discarding non-nickel components, the process extracts iron and magnesium.

The recovered iron can be converted into high-value products such as iron oxide (Fe₂O₃) pigments and iron oxalate for battery materials, while the magnesium is processed into industrial-grade compounds.

"The principle is that no resources are wasted," Setiawan said. "Nickel, iron, and magnesium are all processed into products that have economic value, allowing waste to be minimized."

The technology has successfully completed laboratory and semi-pilot testing, with processing trials ranging from dozens to hundreds of kilograms of ore, demonstrating its technical feasibility.

However, Setiawan noted that further scale-up is required before commercial deployment.

"At the laboratory scale, the results have been very good," he said. "The next stage is to scale up the process through a pilot plant so that its economic feasibility can be demonstrated for industrial applications."

The innovation is expected to support Indonesia's downstream mineral industry by improving resource efficiency, reducing waste, and increasing the value derived from the country's abundant nickel reserves.

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Translator: Sean Filo Muhamad, Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono

Editor: M Razi Rahman

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