Check out these stunning nickel sulfate hexahydrate crystals—grown during the final stages of research on solvent extraction and crystallization of base metals.
This bulk test wasn’t just a chemistry experiment—it was proof of concept. We:
Extracted copper, cobalt, and nickel using solvent extraction with tailored organics (LIX984N, Cyanex 272, and Versatic Acid 10),
Removed deleterious elements through neutralization and pre-clean steps,
And concentrated clean strip solutions to grow cobalt and nickel sulfate crystals approaching battery-grade purity.
🔍 The nickel crystallization step included:
Carefully controlled pH ~7.5 for extraction,
Stripping with 10 g/L H₂SO₄,
And evaporation & cooling to yield these beautiful, chunky green-blue crystals.
While these crystals aren’t quite battery grade yet, this project proved that domestic recovery of critical metals like nickel and cobalt is not only possible—it’s scalable.
⚙️ Bonus: This work formed the foundation for a 13-vessel solvent extraction pilot plant design.
📘 From bench tests to pilot scale —this is how we make metallurgy matter.
