Nickel geochemistry of a Philippine laterite examined by bulk and microprobe synchrotron analyses

The Ni geochemistry of limonite and saprolite laterite ores from Pujada in the Philippines has been investigated using a mixture of laboratory and synchrotron techniques. Nickel laterite profiles are typically composed of complicated mineral assemblages, with Ni being distributed heterogeneously at the micron scale, and thus a high degree of spatial resolution is required for analysis. This study represents the first such analysis of Philippine laterite ores. Synchrotron bulk and microprobe X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), comprising both X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopies, together with synchrotron microprobe X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) and diffraction (XRD) have been applied to provide quantitative analysis of the mineral components and Ni speciation.Synchrotron microprobe EXAFS spectroscopy suggests that the limonite Ni is associated with phyllomanganate via adsorption onto the Mn oxide layers and substitution for Mn within these layers. Laboratory scanning electron microscopy, coupled to electron dispersive spectroscopy analyses, indicates that Ni is also associated with concentrated Fe containing particles and this is further confirmed by synchrotron bulk and microprobe investigation. Linear combination fitting of the bulk EXAFS limonite data suggests 60 ± 15% of the Ni is associated with phyllomanganate, with the predominant fraction adsorbed above vacancies in the MnO₆ layers with the remainder being substituted for Mn within these layers. The remaining 40 ± 10% of the Ni in the limonite ore is incorporated into goethite through replacement of the Fe. In the saprolite ore, 90 ± 23% of the Ni is associated with a serpentine mineral, most likely lizardite, as a replacement for Mg. The remaining Ni is found within phyllomanganate adsorbed above vacancies in the MnO₆ layers.