Nickel was formed billions of years ago in supernova explosions, the only place in nature where the temperature and pressure conditions are high enough for nickel atoms to form. Nickel is the fifth most abundant naturally occurring element on Earth and is found in meteorites, deep within the Earth, and in ores on the surface. The natural concentration of nickel in the environment varies significantly with geographic location.

 

Nickel, like other metals, occurs in nature as ores. These ores are mined, concentrated, and smelted or chemically treated to extract the nickel. Major nickel ore sources are found in Russia, Canada, Australia, New Caledonia, Indonesia, Cuba, China, the Dominican Republic, Botswana, Colombia, Greece, and Brazil. Nickel is also refined in Japan, the United Kingdom, Finland, and France. Nickel-containing ores are usually smelted to produce raw materials for the steel industry (ferronickel) or further refined into metallic nickel or chemicals. High-purity nickel and nickel chemicals are produced by specialized refineries.

 

Nickel is the fifth most abundant naturally occurring element on Earth and is essential for some plant life. Nickel is found in meteorites, deep in the Earth and in surface ores. The natural content of nickel in the environment varies significantly with geographic location.

 

Nickel has a unique combination of properties and is of great economic and social importance through its contribution to households, food production, transportation, energy and manufacturing. More than 85% of the newly produced nickel and most of the recycled nickel are used to produce alloy materials each year. Stainless steel is the best known of these alloys. The most common stainless steel grades contain 8%-12% nickel. Due to its excellent corrosion resistance, stainless steel is widely used in the catering industry and households (sinks, utensils), construction (building structures and decoration), health care (pharmaceutical equipment and medical devices), food processing and brewing equipment and throughout the industrial field. 2/3 of the newly produced nickel and most of the recycled nickel are used to produce stainless steel.

 

We consume nickel every day through our diet, as nickel is a natural part of the diet. The nickel needed and used by crops appears in the foods we eat every day, especially beans, peas, lentils, cocoa products (chocolate) and oats. Therefore, we consume 150-300 micrograms of nickel every day.

You use nickel-containing products every day. You use nickel every day when you cook food. Consumers encounter nickel in alloy form in their daily lives, such as cooking utensils and tableware. The excellent corrosion resistance of stainless steel used in these utensils provides essential sanitation, avoids food poisoning, and ensures that food is not contaminated.