Municipal Solid Waste as a Potential Reducing Agent for Substituting Coal in Ferronickel Production

The growth of the global population has led to a substantial increase in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation. Various methods have been suggested and implemented to address this issue, including waste processing by dry fermentation using aerobic bio-drying, resulting in treated municipal solid waste (TMSW) that can serve as an energy source. The potential application of TMSW as a reducing agent in the production of ferronickel from lateritic nickel ore was investigated. Experiments were conducted in a muffle furnace by mixing lateritic nickel ore with TMSW and heating according to specific temperature patterns. Ferronickel was produced in the form of metal nuggets, with nickel content ranging from 7–12% and iron from 84–88%, with a yield of 87% for both nickel and iron. From these results, it can be concluded that TMSW can substitute coal as a reducing agent, enabling MSW utilization and enhancing the sustainability of ferronickel production.