Sustainable Extraction of Copper, Nickel and Zinc and Their By-Products from Ores, Recycled Materials and Wastes through Hydrometallurgical Processes
A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 3806
Special Issue Editors
Interests: leaching; hydrometallurgy; minerals; mineral processing; mineral characterization; extraction and processing industry; mining; clay minerals; extractive metallurgy; leaching processes; separation techniques; iron ore; sulfides; chemical precipitation; heap leaching; sulfuric acids; chalcopyrite recovery of metals from e-waste
Interests: exploration of fundamental reaction and transport phenomena during the leaching of minerals, especially the (bio)leaching of sulphide minerals, and mathematical modelling, particularly of heap leach processes; copper, zinc and nickel sulphide bioleaching; chloride and ammoniua leaching; Au and PGM cyanide leaching; extraction of REEs from ion adsorption clays; evaluating extractive technologies in a broader socio-economic context, both locally and globally, in terms of commodity cycles, such as Cu and Zn production and metals recovery from e-waste in the local South African context
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2. Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8320000, Chile
Interests: biofilm formation of bioleaching microorganisms; fluorescence microscopy, massive image analyses and OMICS techniques; microbial genetics and extracellular polymeric substances analysis and characterization; characterization of interactions and cell–cell communication in bioleaching consortia; changes in microbial diversity during bioleaching of chalcopyrite-containing ores; EPS production and analysis and development of methodologies for massive image analysis of biofilms of axenic and mixed bioleaching microbial consortia on pyrite and chalcopyrite surfaces
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Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) are vital non-ferrous metals in the context of a sustainable future. The importance of copper in any form of electricity generation, storage and usage cannot be overstated; it will only increase dramatically with the transition to a de-carbonized future. Similarly, Ni will be of critical significance as a battery mineral, and Zn will be of paramount importance in ensuring long service life of construction and piping materials due to its extensive use in corrosion protection.
Classic base metals are derived from the processing of primary ores and concentrates, as well as the re-processing of historic mine tailings and recycling of scrap and end-of-life equipment. The extraction and refining of primary base metals and their common companion metals (Mo, Au and U for C; Co and PGMs for Ni; Pb, Ge and In for Zn) usually involves hydrometallurgical processing to some degree. The respective technologies and chemistries employed are being continuously developed to address challenges such as declining ore-grades, changing mineralogy, energy supply, carbon footprint issues, SHE concerns, etc. Many of the processes applied to primary ores and concentrates are similar or adaptable to those relevant to processing of secondary resources, but with some modifications to account for the different nature and composition of the feed materials and the scale of operation.
This Special Issue is focused on new developments in the sustainable hydrometallurgical processing of materials for which Cu, Ni and Zn are the primary metal commodities recovered, with a special emphasis on the co-recovery of companion metals: Mo, Ag, Au and U (by-products of Cu); Co and PGMs (by-products of Ni); Pb, Ge, and In (by-products of Zn).
This Special Issue will primarily cover four areas:
Area 1. Chemistries: acid ferric sulphate leaching and bioleaching, chloride leaching, ammonia leaching, leaching aids and catalysts, novel reagents.
Area 2. Leaching Technologies: atmospheric and pressure leaching, heap leaching, novel leaching systems.
Area 3. Separation: SX, IX, precipitation, and electrowinning for selective metal recovery from mixed leach liquors.
Area 4. Flowsheets: evaluation and comparison of complete flowsheets for the comprehensive recovery of metals from primary, secondary or blended feeds and the ensuing waste streams.
Dr. Lilian Velásquez-Yévenes
Prof. Dr. Jochen Petersen
Dr. Mario Vera
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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Keywords
- base metal
- leaching and bioleaching
- leaching technology
- chloride leaching
- e-waste leaching
- innovation and process improvement
- new reagents, materials and technologies
- solvent extraction and ion exchange
- precipitation
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