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Cobalt

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Cameron Mayberry Corby G Anderson

Colorado School of Mines Colorado School of Mines
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Cobalt
Cameron Mayberry & Dr. Corby Anderson
KIEM
Colorado School of Mines
Properties
● Atomic Symbol: Co
● Atomic Number: 27
● Atomic Mass: 58.93g/mol
● Element Category: Transition metal
● Density: 8.86g/cm3 at 20°C
● Melting Point: 2723°F (1495°C)
● Boiling Point: 5301°F (2927°C)
● Moh's Hardness: 5
Characteristics

● Silver-colored cobalt metal is brittle, has a high melting point and is valued for
its wear resistance and ability to retain its strength at high temperatures.

● It is one of the three naturally occurring magnetic metals (iron and nickel being
the other two) and retains its magnetism at a higher temperature (2012°F,
1100°C) than any other metal. In other words, cobalt has the highest Curie
Point of all metals. Cobalt also has valuable catalytic properties
History
● The word cobalt dates back to the sixteenth-century German term kobold,
meaning goblin, or evil spirit. Kobold was used to describe cobalt ores that,
while being smelted for their silver content, gave off poisonous arsenic trioxide.

● The earliest application of cobalt was in compounds used for blue dyes for
pottery, glass, and glazes. Egyptian and Babylonian pottery dyed with cobalt
compounds can be dated back to 1450 B.C.
History
● In 1735, Swedish chemist Georg Brandt was the first to isolate the element
from copper ore. He demonstrated that the blue pigment arose from cobalt,
not arsenic or bismuth as alchemists originally believed. After its isolation,
cobalt metal remained rare and seldom used until the 20th century.

● Shortly after 1900, the American automotive entrepreneur Elwood Haynes

developed a new corrosion resistant alloy, which he referred to as stellite.
Patented in 1907, stellite alloys contain high cobalt and chromium contents
and are completely non-magnetic.
History
● Another significant development for cobalt came with the creation of
aluminum-nickel-cobalt (AlNiCo) magnets in the 1940s. AlNiCo magnets were
the first replacement to electromagnets. In 1970, the industry was further
transformed by the development of samarium-cobalt magnets, which provided
previously unachievable magnet energy densities.

● The industrial importance of cobalt resulted in the London Metal Exchange

(LME) introducing cobalt futures contracts in 2010.
Production
● Cobalt naturally occurs in nickel-bearing laterites and nickel-copper sulfide deposits
and, thus, is most often extracted as a by-product of nickel and copper. According
to the Cobalt Development Institute, about 48% of cobalt production originates from
nickel ores, 37% from copper ores and 15% from primary cobalt production.

● The main ores of cobalt are cobaltite, erythrite, glaucodot, and skutterudite.

● The extraction technique used to produce refined cobalt metal depends on whether
the feed material is in the form of (1) copper-cobalt sulfide ore, (2) cobalt-nickel
sulfide concentrate, (3) arsenide ore or (4) nickel-laterite ore
Copper-Cobalt Sulfur Ore
After copper cathodes are produced from cobalt-containing copper sulfides,
cobalt, along with other impurities, are left on the spent electrolyte. Impurities
(iron, nickel, copper, zinc) are removed and cobalt is precipitated in its hydroxide
form using lime. Cobalt metal can then be refined from this using electrolysis,
before being crushed and degassed to produce a pure, commercial grade metal.

-Carollite Cu(Co,Ni)2S4
Cobalt-Nickel Sulfide Concentrate
Cobalt-containing nickel sulfide ores are treated using the Sherritt process,
named after Sherrit Gordon Mines Ltd. (now Sherritt International). In this
process, sulfide concentrate containing less than 1% cobalt is pressure leached
at high temperatures in an ammonia solution. Both copper and nickel are both
removed in series of chemical reduction processes, leaving only nickel and cobalt
sulfides. Pressure leaching with air, sulfuric acid, and ammonia recovers more
nickel before cobalt powder is added as a seed to precipitate cobalt in a hydrogen
gas atmosphere.
Arsenide ores
Arsenide ores are roasted to remove the majority of arsenic oxide. The ores are
then treated with hydrochloric acid and chlorine, or with sulfuric acid, to create a
leach solution that is purified. From this cobalt is recovered by electrorefining or
carbonate precipitation.

-Cobalite CoAsS
Nickel-cobalt laterite ore
Nickel-cobalt laterite ores can either be melted and separated using
pyrometallurgical techniques or hydrometallurgical techniques, which use sulfuric
acid or ammonia leach solutions.

-Laterite (oxides) -> CoO

Global Mining
According to US Geological Survey (USGS) estimates, global mine production of
cobalt was 123,000 tons in 2016. The largest cobalt ore producing countries during
that period were the Democratic Republic of the Congo (64,000 tons),
Canada(7,300) and China (8,00).
Companies
Cobalt refining often takes place outside of the country where the ore or cobalt
concentrate is initially produced. In 2010, the countries producing the largest
amounts of refined cobalt were China (33,000 tons), Finland (9,300) and Zambia
(5,000). The largest producers of refined cobalt include OM Group, Sherritt
International, Xstrata Nickel and Jinchuan Group.
Applications
Superalloys, such as stellite, are the largest consumer of cobalt metal, accounting
for about 20% of demand. Predominantly made of iron, cobalt and nickel, but
containing smaller amounts of other metals, including chromium, tungsten,
aluminum, and titanium, these high-performance alloys are resistant to high
temperatures, corrosion and wear, and are used to manufacture turbine blades for
jet engines, hard facing machine parts, exhaust valves, and gun barrels.
Wear Resistance
Another important use for cobalt is in wear-resistant alloys (e.g. Vitallium), which
can be found in orthopedic and dental implants, as well as prosthetic hips and
knees.
Binding Material
Cobalt is used in hardmetals as a binding material. It consumes roughly 12% of
total cobalt. These include cemented carbides and diamond tools that are used in
cutting applications and mining tools.
Magnets
Cobalt is also used to produce permanent magnets, such as the previously
mentioned AlNiCo and samarium-cobalt magnets. Magnets account for 7% of
cobalt metal demand and are used in magnetic recording media, electric motors, as
well as generators.
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Chemical / Battery
Despite the many uses for cobalt metal, cobalt's primary applications are in the
chemical sector, which accounts for about half of the total global demand. Cobalt
chemicals are used in the metallic cathodes of rechargeable batteries, as well as in
petrochemical catalysts, ceramic pigments, and glass decolorizers.