The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), through its Metallurgy Research Center, has successfully created a technological breakthrough in nickel ore processing. This innovation is touted to change the mining industry paradigm by reducing potential waste by up to 98 percent, while optimizing the utilization of materials that have previously been discarded.
BRIN researcher Iwan Setiawan explained that the main challenge in the nickel industry today is the low nickel content in the ore, which is only around 1-2 percent. Existing conventional technologies tend to generate massive waste piles because they focus on only one type of ore, namely saprolite or limonite. In contrast, the innovation developed by the BRIN team offers flexibility by processing both types of ore in an integrated single process sequence.
This technology, modified from the Caron process, is designed to be more adaptive to the increasingly diverse characteristics of nickel reserves in Indonesia. In addition to better energy efficiency compared to conventional pyrometallurgical methods, this system is capable of extracting iron and magnesium from nickel ore. Iron can be processed into pigments or battery raw materials, while magnesium is converted into high-value industrial compounds.
To date, the innovation has undergone a series of laboratory and semi-pilot scale tests with promising results. Iwan emphasized that the next crucial step is the construction of a larger-scale pilot plant facility to validate technical effectiveness and economic viability before it is fully adopted by the industrial sector.
The development of this technology is considered to align with the spirit of a circular economy and national industrial independence. By maximizing every existing mineral element, Indonesia is expected to not only be a raw material exporter, but also capable of independently and sustainably processing its natural wealth, including for other strategic commodities such as titanium and rare earth elements.
