₦airaland Forum

When the information on Nickel broke out, I have asked several people to tell me the uses but when no one was able, I decided to research on and here are the uses so that others can know

Nickel-containing materials play a major role in our
everyday lives – food preparation equipment, mobile
phones, medical equipment, transport, buildings,
power generation – the list is almost endless. They
are selected because - compared with other materials
- they offer better corrosion resistance, better
toughness, better strength at high and low
temperatures, and a range of special magnetic and
electronic properties.
Most important are alloys of iron,
nickel and chromium, of which
stainless steels (frequently 8-12%
nickel) are the largest volume.
Nickel based alloys - like stainless
steel but with higher nickel
contents - are used for more demanding applications
such as gas turbines and some chemical plants.
In addition, iron and nickel alloys are used in
electronics and specialist engineering, while
copper-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.
Nickel metal is used to
provide hard-wearing
decorative and engineering
coatings as 'nickel-plating' or
'electroless nickel coating' or
'electroforming'. When used with
a top layer of 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 today
are nickel-metal hydride (NiMH).
Nickel is a key ingredient in many catalysts used to
make chemical reactions more efficient.
Nickel use is growing at about 4% each year while
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-containing materials are needed to
modernize infrastructure, for industry and to meet
the material aspirations of their populations.
Much more about all these
applications of nickel can be
found in Nickel Use in
Society and the Material
Selection and Use areas of the
web site.
A list of some of the major nickel alloy and nickel
stainless steel producers in the world is available
here.
Most nickel-containing products have long useful
lives. Average life is probably 25-35 years, with many
applications lasting much longer. Nickel containing
products frequently can provide optimum solutions
to practical challenges at a lower total cost and with
more efficient use of resources, including energy.
At the end of their useful life, 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.
Nickel is of considerable economic and
strategic importance to many countries,
as can be appreciated from the wide
diversity of end-use industries which it
serves. It is traded on the London Metal
Exchange.
The International Nickel Study Group, based in
Lisbon, Portugal, is an inter-governmental body
which publishes monthly statistics on nickel supply
and demand, and acts as a forum for the exchange of
information and views on nickel trends.
Nickel and nickel compounds can
in certain circumstances be
associated with toxicity,
carcinogenicity and with dermal
sensitization. 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.
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 jewellery.
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 information can be found at the following links:
Health Guide: Safe Use of Nickel in the
Workplace
Nickel Allergic Contact Dermatitis
Nickel: Helping to Use Raw Materials
Efficiently
Environmental Science
Nickel uses factsheets: Nickel in cars, Nickel in
aircraft, Nickel in mobile phones, Nickel in
computers