Basic Facts of Nickel
| Name: | NICKEL |
| Chemical Symbol: | Ni |
| Atomic Number: | 28 |
| Atomic Weight: | 58.71 |
| Melting Point: |
1455oC |
| Boiling Point: |
2730oC |
| Density: |
8.90 g/cm3 at 25oC |
Nickel - Natural, Essential and Plentiful
Nickel is the fifth most common element making up the earth. Although most of the nickel is inaccessible in
the core of the earth, nickel occurs extensively in the earth's crust.
It is essential for healthy plant life. Nickel is found in most vegetables, fruits and nuts - and in food products derived from them, for example - chocolate, wine.
It is currently mined in over 23 countries. Most important are Russia, Canada, New Caledonia, Australia, Indonesia, Cuba, China, South Africa, Dominican Republic, Botswana, Columbia, Greece and Brazil. Also refined in Japan, United Kingdom, Finland and France.
Global 2001 production of nickel was 1.1 million tonnes from mined sources plus an estimated 400,000
tonnes from scrap sources
Nickel Alloys
Non-Alloy Uses
Nickel and Sustainable Development (SD)
Nickel, Hazard and Risk
More about nickel
Nickel Alloys
Nickel readily combines with other metals to form alloys, especially iron, cobalt, copper (neighbours in the periodic table). Alloy properties include better corrosion resistance, better toughness, better strength at high and low temperatures and a wide range of special magnetic and electronic properties.
Most important are alloys of iron, nickel and chromium, of which stainless steels (8-12% nickel) are the largest volume. Nickel based alloys, like stainless steel but with higher nickel contents are used for more demanding applications.
In addition, iron and nickel alloys are used in electronics and specialist engineering, while copper and nickel alloys are used for coinage and marine engineering.
There are about 3000 nickel-containing alloys in everyday use. About 90% of all new nickel sold each year
goes into alloys, two-thirds going into stainless steel.
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Nickel is used to provide hard-wearing decorative and engineering coatings as "nickel-plating" or "electroless nickel coating" or "electroforming". When used together with chromium, it is popularly known as "chrome-plating". When done in combination with silicon carbide it is known as composite plating.
Nickel is a key part of several rechargeable battery systems used in electronics, power tools, transport and emergency power supply. Most important are nickel-cadmium (NiCd) and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH).
Nickel is a key ingredient in many catalysts.
Nickel powders are used for sintered parts, especially sintered steels, and for welding and
spraying.
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Nickel and Sustainable Development (SD)
Nickel-containing products enable a high quality of life
- safe food, beverages and drinking water
- safe and long lasting buildings
- low cost and clean energy
- efficient and safe production of chemicals
- low cost and safe transportation
- reliable electronics and communications.
To learn more about how nickel contributes, go to Sustainable
Development
Nickel use is growing at about 4% each year with use of nickel-containing stainless steel is growing at about
6%. The fastest growth today is seen in the newly and rapidly industrializing countries, especially in Asia.
Nickel is needed to modernize infrastructure for industry. Nickel is also needed to meet the material
aspirations of their populations. Much of this nickel will be from recycled, end-of-life sources. Nickel use
delivers huge benefits to society by enabling quality living and environmental protection.
Most nickel-containing products have long useful lives. Average life is probably 25-35 years with many applications lasting much longer. Nickel containing products can provide optimum solutions to practical challenges at a lower total cost and less use of resources, including energy.
At the end of life (EOL), nickel-containing products can be collected and recycled for future use and
re-use. Nickel is one of the most recycled materials globally. It is collected and recycled, mostly in the
form of alloys. About half of the nickel content of a stainless steel product today will have come from
recycled sources. For more information on nickel recycling go to Recycling.
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Nickel has some properties which might lead to its being classified as a hazardous substance.
Nickel can in certain circumstances be associated with toxicity, carcinogenicity and with dermal
sensitization. The nickel industry is collaborating in the formal assessment of all the risks associated with
nickel that is currently being undertaken on behalf of the EU (and OECD) by Denmark.
Most of the practical risks associated with nickel hazards are seen in certain complex processes used in
nickel production and refining. The risks are well known and are managed and controlled by specific workplace
regulation. More information can be found at the following links:
Health Guide: Safe Use of Nickel in the Workplace
Carcinogenicity
Ecotoxicity
Nickel Allergic Contact Dermatitis
In the nickel industry's view, significant risks are not normally associated with the use of nickel,
nickel-containing alloys or nickel-containing products with the exception of the use of nickel and some
nickel alloys in jewelry (see Nickel Allergic Contact Dermatitis).
There are risks associated with the production and use of nickel but, in the view of the industry, these
are small, reasonable and manageable. The nickel industry operates a Product Stewardship policy and is
committed to act to discourage inappropriate use of nickel (see Product
Stewardship).
Nickel use makes a very high practical contribution to improvements of health, safety and protection of the
environment. Society will lose a lot more than it will gain if it adopts an excessively precautionary
approach to the assessment and management of the risks associated with nickel.
More about nickel
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