PT Trimegah Bangun Persada Tbk (Harita Nickel) has recorded a historical milestone as the first entity in Indonesia to successfully implement High Pressure Acid Leaching (HPAL) technology.

This technology plays a crucial role in the production of raw materials for electric vehicle batteries, including nickel sulfate and cobalt sulfate. Based on Obi Island, South Halmahera, North Maluku, Harita Nickel utilizes the island's 3,048 km² of mineral wealth to support the future automotive industry.

Rico Windy Albert, Head of Technical Support Harita Nickel, explained the details of the nickel sulfate and cobalt sulfate production process. "The process begins with ore preparation, where the nickel ore is filtered and separated from large rocks, wood, and other foreign objects," said Rico. "After being cleaned with water, the nickel ore is ground in a grinding station and mixed with water for the thickening process."

The thickened nickel ore is then heated to a temperature of 200-250 degrees Celsius before being mixed with sulfuric acid in an autoclave. "At Harita Nickel, we have three autoclave units, each about 40 meters long and 5 meters in diameter," said Rico. "The leaching process takes about an hour with a pressure of 50 bars."

After the leaching process, the nickel liquid is removed from the autoclave and its temperature is lowered in the production tank. "When the liquid temperature reaches the specified level, we perform precipitation to separate the nickel from other minerals such as iron and aluminum," Rico explained.

In a parallel process, the acidity of the nickel liquid is increased by mixing it with limestone until it reaches a pH of around 5. "Initially, the pH of the nickel liquid after leaching in the autoclave is around 1.5. We have to increase the acidity to pH 5 to continue the process," Rico said. After reaching the desired pH, the liquid is added with sodium hydroxide and precipitated to obtain the nickel and cobalt elements.

The result of this process is Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate (MHP), which has a nickel content of around 40% and cobalt of 4-5%. “Our MHP is in the form of greenish bars and can be further processed into nickel sulfate and cobalt sulfate,” Rico explained. “We deliver three main products to the market: direct MHP, nickel sulfate, and cobalt sulfate.”

Harita Nickel, with its cutting-edge innovation and technology, plays a key role in the electric vehicle battery industry in Indonesia, strengthening its position as a pioneer in the mineral processing sector.

Related News