Green Nickel

• 12 Jun 2025

Source: TH 

A new hydrogen plasma-based method for nickel extraction promises a breakthrough in green metallurgy by cutting CO₂ emissions by 84% and improving energy efficiency by 18%.

• This breakthrough is vital as nickel, essential for clean tech like EV batteries (demand >6 million tonnes/year by 2040), currently emits >20 tonnes of CO₂ per tonne, offsetting EVs' environmental benefits. 
• About Nickel: Nickel is a silvery-white metallic element, the 5th-most common on Earth, found widely in the crust (80 ppm) and forming a major part of the Earth’s core as a nickel-iron alloy. It also occurs in meteorites, soil, and water, and is an essential nutrient for plants. 
  • Features: Corrosion resistance, High-temperature stability, Strength, Ductility, Toughness, Recyclability, and Catalytic and electromagnetic properties. 
  • Reserves: Australia, United States, Brazil, Canada, and China have the largest global nickel reserves. 
    • In India, nickel occurs in lateritic deposits of Sukinda Valley, Odisha, but is not produced from primary sources.  
      • Nickel is also found in sulphide form alongside copper mineralization in the East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. 
    • The entire demand is met through imports, with limited recovery as nickel sulphate by-product at HCL’s Ghatsila copper smelter in Jharkhand. 
  • Ores: Ores of Nickel is grouped into their two major categories i.e., sulphide ores and laterite ores. 
    • Sulphide Ores: Pentlandite, Millerite and Gersdorffite. 
    • Laterite Ores: Garnierite, Nickeliferous limonite and Saprolite. 
  • Applications: Stainless steel production, Rechargeable batteries (e.g., lithium-ion batteries for EVs), Alloys (e.g., aerospace), Electroplating, coinage, and catalysts in chemical industries. 
• Nickel is listed among India’s 30 critical minerals, alongside others like Bismuth, Cobalt, Copper, Gallium, Germanium, and Graphite. 

Read More: National Critical Mineral Mission