Background: Why Nickel Matters
- Key component in clean energy tech, especially lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs).
- Global nickel demand expected to exceed 6 million tonnes/year by 2040.
- Ironically, nickel extraction is highly polluting — 1 tonne of nickel = 20+ tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
Relevance : GS 3(Minerals)
Conventional Process: High Carbon Footprint
- Involves multiple steps: calcination → smelting → reduction → refining.
- Uses carbon as a reducing agent to extract nickel from nickel oxide.
- Results in high energy usage and large amounts of CO₂ emissions.
New Methodology: Hydrogen Plasma-Based Extraction
- Developed by Max Planck Institute researchers (published in Nature, April 2025).
- Single-step metallurgical process in one electric arc furnace.
- Replaces carbon with hydrogen plasma as the reducing agent.
- Uses electricity (preferably renewable) to generate high-energy hydrogen ions (plasma).
Advantages of Hydrogen Plasma Method
- Carbon-free: Byproduct is water, not CO₂.
- Energy efficient: ~18% less energy consumption.
- Emissions cut: Up to 84% reduction in direct CO₂ emissions.
- Faster & cleaner reaction kinetics due to reactive plasma.
- Produces high-purity ferronickel, reducing need for further refining.
Strategic Focus on Laterite Ores
- Laterites: Abundant in tropical regions (e.g., India’s Odisha-Sukinda belt), but hard to process.
- Traditional methods favor high-grade sulphide ores (depleting fast).
- New process makes low-grade ores economically viable, reducing dependency on imports.
Relevance for India
- Can leverage domestic laterite reserves, especially overburden in chromite mines.
- Supports India’s goals of:
- Net-zero emissions by 2070
- Industrialisation & green infrastructure
- Reducing reliance on imported ores
Challenges & Caveats
- Scalability: Industrial deployment requires high initial capital and robust renewable energy supply.
- Infrastructure demand: Setting up electric arc furnaces and hydrogen systems.
- Technical hurdles:
- Need for continuous oxygen supply at the melt interface.
- Further studies on thermodynamic and kinetic behavior essential.
- Ore applicability: May not suit all types of nickel ores.
Conclusion
- Hydrogen plasma-based nickel extraction presents a transformative step toward sustainable metallurgy.
- Reduces the hidden carbon cost of clean energy technologies.
- With appropriate policy, funding, and R&D, it can help align industrial development with climate goals, especially for developing economies like India.
