NICKEL
in surigao del norte
Frequently Asked
Questions
1. How many nickel resource is found in Surigao del Norte?
The Philippines’ total nickel resource is unknown but is definitely more than 4 million tons of Nickel ores annually, as the corporation Platinum Group Metals Corporation has a production of 3 million tons of nickel ores annually (Financial Times, 2017). Nickel occurs in nature principally as oxides, sulfides, and silicates. (Nickel Institute, n.d.)
2. What is the chemical composition of nickel?
Nickel was named after Kupfernickel, a German word which means “Devil’s copper”. It has a symbol of Ni is an element with the atomic number 28 and mass of 58.69 atomic mass units.
3. What is the way to extract nickel resources?
. Nickel, like many minerals and metals, is mined through ores and then processed in order to extract the needed material inside the ore. Nickel can be extracted in these ores through the process of extractive metallurgy. Extractive metallurgy maybe classified to three different processes according to what is used to extract the needed material namely, Hydrometallurgy, Pyrometallurgy, and Electrometallurgy.
4. What are the benefits of nickel?
Nickel is not often utilized when it is in its unalloyed or pure form. It is used in a variety of products individuals utilize every day including guitar strings, magnets, and rechargeable batteries. The magnetic properties of nickel make it important in the usage of computer hard drives. Valuable uses of nickel range from coins, armor plates, and to bulgar-proof vaults.
5. Are nickel resources being used efficiently?
Nickel is a mineral which withstands the process of corrosion; a process which makes a metal chemically-stable. Substances containing Nickel, have a high significance in our everyday lives including utilizations as mobile phones, medical equipment, transportation, structural material for buildings, and the like (Nickel Institute). Due to the improvements and advancements in technology, there has been an increasing demand for nickel, with nickel being used as batteries for electric cars as substitutes for vehicles ran by petroleum.
7. What would happen if nickel ran out?
The Philippines is one of the top producers of nickel in the world. If a depletion of the said mineral will happen, the Philippines is not the only country which will be affected but rather, various countries which extensively use nickel. The global economy and market will possibly fail. As nickel is one of the most important minerals in the production of modern technologies such as jet airplanes, cars, high strength steels, and high power magnets, if the mineral ran out, there would be less production for the technologies stated
8. How does one ensure the development of a country without the price of environmental degradation?
Mining and Degraded Areas Rehabilitation Research Center, or MDARRC, is a research center whose objective is to focus on the rehabilitation of areas which suffered under overmining. To begin the restoration of the area, the Center with its Environmental Protection and Enhancement Program (EPEP), made use of the plants Mankono (Xanthostemon verdugonianus) Acacia mangium, Agoho (Casuarina equisetifolia), and Carabao grass (Paspalum conjugatum). The plants are suitable for the environment for it aids in the control of soil erosion especially in the damaged areas (Setenta). Another corporation which aids in protecting the environment as economy continually develops, is the Nickel Asia Corporation (NAC). Part of its Sustainability Paradigm, is to ensure that mining companies in Surigao Del Norte are able to abide by the laws set by regulatory agencies.