In a scientific milestone, German researchers have pioneered a method to extract and purify nickel from low-grade ores in a single, clean step using hydrogen plasma. This innovation is developed by a team at the Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials.
Nickel, a cornerstone of green technologies, has historically been extracted through carbon-intensive processes that harm both the environment and energy systems. But that may be changing. In what researchers are calling a “historic achievement,” hydrogen plasma has been used for the first time in a peer-reviewed setting to produce ferronickel directly from lateritic ores.
Led by Isnaldi R. Souza Filho, the Max Planck team used an electric arc furnace to expose nickel ore pellets to a hydrogen-argon gas mix. The result was the creation of hydrogen plasma, a highly reactive substance made of energized ions and electrons. This plasma reduced nickel oxides to ferronickel in minutes—without the need for multiple high-temperature, chemically intensive stages.
As the article puts it, “Something new in metallurgical history” has truly emerged. The researchers have effectively combined extraction and purification into a single step, removing the need for further refining and reducing carbon emissions by up to 84%, especially when powered by renewable energy.
The global demand for nickel is projected to double by 2040, but the supply of high-grade ores is shrinking. Traditionally, refining lower-grade ores has involved either hydrometallurgical processes that rely on heat, pressure, and sulfuric acid or pyrometallurgical methods that burn fossil fuels at extreme temperatures, releasing as much as 20 tons of CO? for every ton of nickel produced.
The hydrogen plasma method eliminates these harmful emissions. Remarkably, the Max Planck team managed to produce ferronickel with 20–40% nickel content comparable to industry standards without the typical impurities such as phosphorus or silicon. That means the metal can be used directly in steelmaking, skipping the polluting, resource-heavy steps that have traditionally been unavoidable.
Despite its promise, scaling up the hydrogen plasma process won’t be easy. The reaction occurs where the plasma arc meets molten ore, which requires precise control to maintain efficiency on a larger scale. Moreover, the method hinges on the use of green hydrogen currently more expensive than fossil-fuel-derived alternatives. However, as the cost of renewable energy continues to fall, the economics of hydrogen plasma are expected to become more attractive.
The researchers remain optimistic. A larger-scale reactor is already in development, and with clean energy infrastructure on the rise, hydrogen plasma could soon become a commercially viable option.
At the heart of this innovation is the exotic nature of hydrogen plasma itself a substance typically reserved for fusion research. In the Max Planck experiments, hydrogen was superheated to over 1,000,000 ºC, becoming a roiling sea of ions and electrons. This extreme state of matter unleashes chemical reactions that conventional methods simply can’t achieve, enabling metal oxides to break down almost instantaneously.
