Sustainable nickel enabled by hydrogen-based reduction.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40307553.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41586-025-08901-7 and PMC identifier 12058512.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Nickel is a critical element in the shift to sustainable energy systems, with the demand for nickel projected to exceed 6 million tons annually by 2040<sup>1-4</sup>, largely driven by the electrification of the transport sector. Primary nickel production uses acids and carbon-based reductants, emitting about 20 tons of carbon dioxide per ton of nickel produced<sup>5-7</sup>. Here we present a method using fossil-free hydrogen-plasma-based reduction to extract nickel from low-grade ore variants known as laterites. We bypass the traditional multistep process and combine calcination, smelting, reduction and refining into a single metallurgical step conducted in one furnace. This approach produces high-grade ferronickel alloys at fast reduction kinetics. Thermodynamic control of the atmosphere of the furnace enables selective nickel reduction, yielding an alloy with minimal impurities (<0.04 wt% silicon, approximately 0.01 wt% phosphorus and <0.09 wt% calcium), eliminating the need for further refining. The proposed method has the potential to be up to about 18% more energy efficient while cutting direct carbon dioxide emissions by up to 84% compared with current practice. Our work thus shows a sustainable approach to help resolve the contradiction between the beneficial use of nickel in sustainable energy technologies and the environmental harm caused by its production.