Nickel element Critical Material
Nickel (Ni), atomic number 28. The ChEBI nickel-atom identifier grounds this element-level record; nickel ions, alloys, mineral species and heterogeneous laterite ores are different entities. The US designation maps the listed nickel commodity to this element and does not designate every nickel-bearing ore or waste. The curated experiment concerns nickel mobilization from particular laterite samples, not dissolution of elemental nickel.
Identifiers & Classification
| System | Identifier | Label |
|---|---|---|
| CHEBI |
CHEBI:28112
|
nickel atom |
Criticality Designations
| Jurisdiction | List Name | Edition / Document | Classification | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States of America | USGS Final List of Critical Minerals | 2025; Federal Register 90:50494-50497; published 7 November 2025 | critical |
usgs2025
|
Microbial & Biochemical Mechanisms (1)
Conditional nickel bioleaching from Brazilian laterites
bioleaching
Microbial
Associated Organisms:
Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans (NCBITaxon:930)
A living six-strain Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans mixture mobilized nickel from selected laterites under aerobic laboratory conditions. Sulfur oxidation supplied acidity; additional reductive dissolution is inferred for some feeds, without establishing its molecular route. Performance depended strongly on the particular ore sample.
Experimental Context & Analytical Limits:
DSM 14887T, DSM 504, DSM 622, DSM 103717, DSM 9463 and BGR isolate RAM8 were mixed in equal culture volumes; the taxon ID identifies the species, not this mixture or any individual strain's contribution. Homogenized, sieved (<2 mm), unwashed laterite was added at 10% w/v after four days of growth with 10% v/v inoculum in 2-L stirred, air-supplied reactors containing 1.5 L salts medium, initially pH 3.0, with 1% w/v elemental sulfur at 30 degrees C. Methods describe 3 mM ferrous iron in the medium and 3 mM ferrous sulfate before ore addition; the cumulative dose is not resolved here. Leaching pH was maintained at 1.5 or allowed to change; uninoculated controls were adjusted to the corresponding biotic pH trajectories. BaSt and 1P5 were assayed for 15 days, BaC for 20 days, Jacare samples for 24 days and Piaui for 15 days. Dissolved metals were measured by ICP-OES after 0.2-micrometer filtration and acid stabilization.
DSM 14887T, DSM 504, DSM 622, DSM 103717, DSM 9463 and BGR isolate RAM8 were mixed in equal culture volumes; the taxon ID identifies the species, not this mixture or any individual strain's contribution. Homogenized, sieved (<2 mm), unwashed laterite was added at 10% w/v after four days of growth with 10% v/v inoculum in 2-L stirred, air-supplied reactors containing 1.5 L salts medium, initially pH 3.0, with 1% w/v elemental sulfur at 30 degrees C. Methods describe 3 mM ferrous iron in the medium and 3 mM ferrous sulfate before ore addition; the cumulative dose is not resolved here. Leaching pH was maintained at 1.5 or allowed to change; uninoculated controls were adjusted to the corresponding biotic pH trajectories. BaSt and 1P5 were assayed for 15 days, BaC for 20 days, Jacare samples for 24 days and Piaui for 15 days. Dissolved metals were measured by ICP-OES after 0.2-micrometer filtration and acid stabilization.
Curated Evidence Points:
Support
Source:
hetz_schippers_2025
Methods and Barro Alto Results, Figures 1-7: for stockpile sample BaSt with pH not maintained, reported nickel extraction after 15 days was 83.0 +/- 5.7% (mean +/- SD; four bioreactors), versus 33.6 +/- 0.1% in the matched-pH uninoculated control (two bioreactors). These are reported fractions of feed nickel mobilized, not an isolated nickel product, and do not demonstrate industrial operation.
Partial
Source:
hetz_schippers_2025
Figures 5-6 and 8-10 and the corresponding Results restrict the mechanism's generality: 1P5 showed no enhancement over its chemical control (three biotic reactors, one control), Piaui had similar nickel extraction in biotic and chemical assays, and JacF extraction was very low. JacC showed some enhancement in Results even though the abstract groups Jacare samples broadly with acid-only outcomes. Discussion leaves the aerobic ferric-iron reduction route unresolved; it does not establish a specific enzyme or universal nickel-leaching advantage across laterites.
Sources & References
-
chebi_nickel: ChEBI CHEBI:28112 — nickel atom
https://www.ebi.ac.uk/chebi/CHEBI:28112 (accessed 2026-10-11) -
usgs2025: USGS (2025). Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals. Federal Register 90:50494-50497, document 2025-19813; nickel in the final commodity table.
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-11-07/html/2025-19813.htm (accessed 2026-10-11) -
hetz_schippers_2025: Hetz SA and Schippers A (2025). Aerobic Bioleaching of Six Brazilian Laterite Ores with Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans, Sulfobacillus species and Archaea at Various Conditions. Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy 11:3732-3747. doi:10.1007/s40831-025-01139-7.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40831-025-01139-7 (accessed 2026-10-11) -
ncbi_thiooxidans: NCBI Taxonomy 930 — Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans, species rank
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=930&mode=Info (accessed 2026-10-11)
Curation History
| Timestamp | Curator | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
2026-10-11T04:01:36Z |
Codex (GPT-6; Codex) | record_creation | Created nickel identity, dated US 2025 criticality and a primary-evidence laterite bioleaching mechanism with matched-pH controls, null outcomes, unresolved dosing and causal details, and laboratory scope. Independent scientific review is a separate subsequent artifact. |
Record source: data/records/nickel.yaml