Types of Nickel in Indonesia and Processed Products, Mining Products that are Targeted by the World

Illustration of nickel ore. (Between)

YOGYAKARTA - Nickel is one of the natural resources from mining which is widely used in various sectors of life. Indonesia is one of the largest nickel producing countries in the world. So what are the types of nickel in Indonesia?

Until now, nickel still dominates as a material for making stainless steel. The search for and processing of nickel is also increasing along with the trend of using electric vehicles. The demand for this crop is also skyrocketing because it is needed for the manufacture of electric vehicles and their batteries.

The abundance of nickel treasures in Indonesia is a distinct advantage and high bargaining power. RI's nickel ore reserves total 4.5 billion tonnes, based on the 2020 Nickel Booklet released by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM). What are the types of nickel in Indonesia?

What Is Nickel?

Nickel is a natural product in the form of a metallic mineral with a silvery white base, shiny, slightly golden, and quite hard. Pure nickel has a powdery texture with a more concentrated chemical reaction and is easy to react with normal temperature air.

Of the five most abundant metal elements in the earth's crust, nickel is one of them. As a metal, nickel is a good conductor of electricity or heat. That is why nickel is one of the basic materials for making cell phone batteries.

When viewed with the naked eye, nickel looks like the usual chunks of existing rock but with white gold, silver, and slightly golden tones and is quite rough. Nickel reserves in Indonesia are the 6th largest in the world.

What are the Types of Nickel in Indonesia?

As a country that has the largest nickel reserves, there are several types of nickel in Indonesia. Nickel can be divided into two types of sedimentary ores which are found in different locations. Here are two types of nickel.

• Magmatic Sulfide Deposits
• Laterite deposits

Indonesia also has a number of refined nickel products, including:

• NPI (nickel pig iron)
• Ferronickel
• Stainless Steel
• MSP (mixed sulphide precipitate)
• Ni-matte
• MHP (mixed hydroxide precipitate)

That's a review of the types of nickel in Indonesia that are much sought after by the world. Nickel resources in Indonesia are scattered in various regions in the eastern part, such as South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, North Maluku, and others.

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