Distribution and speciation of Ni in sepiolite-falcondoite- type 'garnierite' by EXAFS

Abstract

Ni-laterites represent one of the main Ni sources worldwide, with about 40% of the annual production (Gleeson et al., 2003). A problem in laterites is to find a reliable system to control the exact partitioning of Ni among the different minerals in the lateritic profile, because laterite profiles are generally constituted by fine-grained minerals. The determination of Ni-sorption mechanisms during the process of lateritization arises as a very important target from both the mining and environmental point of view (e.g. RoquéRosell et al., 2010).