Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.1
2.2
Journals
Minerals
Special Issues
Thermochemical Processing of Low-Grade Ores and Mineral-Related Wastes
share announcement

Thermochemical Processing of Low-Grade Ores and Mineral-Related Wastes

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2024) | Viewed by 7707

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Frédéric J. Doucet

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Council for Geoscience, 280 Pretoria Street, Silverton, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
Interests: mineral waste (characterisation, valorisation); coal fly ash; mine tailings; acid mine drainage; metal extraction; geopolymerisation; nanomaterials; carbon capture and mineralisation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The development of new technological processes for metal recovery from untapped low-grade ores and mineral wastes is emerging as an area of great interest, owing to the decreasing grades and quality of primary ores, the precarious balance of supply and demand of critical raw materials (CRMs), and the modern-day concepts of “sustainable mining” and “circular economy.” Historically, metal extraction processes have consisted of one or more pyrometallurgical, hydrometallurgical, and/or bio-hydrometallurgical processing steps. These traditional processes used for metal extraction from primary, high-grade ores are generally uneconomical when applied to low-grade ores and mineral wastes. The development of novel or the modification of existing processing routes is therefore needed. In recent years, thermochemical processing of low-grade ores and mineral wastes has received renewed attention. This Special Issue will focus on recent advances in thermochemical processing of low-grade ores and mineral wastes, including but not limited to the following topics:

  • Alkali roasting-leaching methods using e.g. NaOH, Na2CO3, CaCO3
  • Ammonium salt roasting-leaching methods using e.g. (NH4)2SO4, NH4Cl
  • Microwave-enhanced extraction methods
  • Thermochemical processing applied to e.g., mine tailings, coal fly ash, individual minerals (e.g., serpentine)
  • Extraction of rare earth elements, aluminium and other metals by thermochemical processing
  • Thermochemical decomposition of extraction agents (e.g., (NH4)2SO4)
  • Thermodynamics and kinetics studies
  • Techno-economic and exergy studies

Dr. Frédéric J. Doucet
Guest Editor

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.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Thermochemical processing
  • Thermal solid-solid processing
  • Alkali roasting-leaching process
  • Microwave-assisted processing
  • Ammonium salts
  • Mineral waste
  • Low-grade ores
  • Mineral recovery
  • Metal extraction

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

12 pages, 8770 KiB  
Article
Uranium Recovery from Uranium Tailings Using the Low-Temperature Chlorination Roasting and Nitric Acid Leaching Process
by Jinming Hu, Jianwei Song, Tu Hu, Libo Zhang, Yue Wang and Fa Zou
Minerals 2025, 15(1), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15010040 - 31 Dec 2024
Viewed by 584
Abstract
To address the problems of low leaching efficiency and the fact that the uranium content in leaching residue is higher than the emission standard in the traditional nitric acid leaching uranium tailing and uranium extraction process, the experimental study of low-temperature chlorination roasting [...] Read more.
To address the problems of low leaching efficiency and the fact that the uranium content in leaching residue is higher than the emission standard in the traditional nitric acid leaching uranium tailing and uranium extraction process, the experimental study of low-temperature chlorination roasting and nitric acid leaching was carried out. The effects of roasting temperature, NaCl addition, and roasting time on uranium leaching rate were investigated, and the morphological structure change and phase transformation of roasted minerals were analyzed. After the low-temperature roasting of sodium chloride, the mineral structure was obviously destroyed, the structure became loose, the voids and microcracks increased, and the size of tailing particles decreased. This is mainly due to the reaction of NaCl with metal compounds in minerals. However, when the sodium chloride is excessive, the formation of hydrogen chloride will promote the formation of new compounds, such as Na2Pb2O7 and Zr7O9F10, and form a secondary coating of uranium, resulting in a decrease in the leaching rate. The optimum process conditions of chlorination roasting are as follows: a roasting temperature 250 °C, a 20% addition of NaCl to the tailing mass, a roasting time of 120 min, and a uranium leaching rate of 93.38%. Compared with traditional nitric acid leaching, the leaching rate of uranium increased by 16.64%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermochemical Processing of Low-Grade Ores and Mineral-Related Wastes)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 4722 KiB  
Article
Processing of Oxidized Lead–Zinc Ore by Co-Roasting with Pyrite-Bearing Ore
by Inna Germanovna Antropova, Pavel Anatolevich Gulyashinov, Aryuna Dugarzhapovna Budaeva, Ilya Punsukovich Dashiev and Darya Petrovna Khomoksonova
Minerals 2024, 14(12), 1241; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14121241 - 5 Dec 2024
Viewed by 727
Abstract
The world reserves of oxidized lead–zinc ores are large, but their processing faces significant difficulties due to their refractory nature. This paper presents a novel approach to the preparation of refractory oxidized lead ores for flotation. The proposed method is based on the [...] Read more.
The world reserves of oxidized lead–zinc ores are large, but their processing faces significant difficulties due to their refractory nature. This paper presents a novel approach to the preparation of refractory oxidized lead ores for flotation. The proposed method is based on the co-roasting of oxidized lead-bearing ores from the Ozernoye polymetallic deposit (Western Transbaikalia, Russia) with fine-grained sulfide lead–zinc ore sourced from the same deposit and the addition of calcium oxide. This method allows for the activation of mineral complexes, the sulfidation of oxidized lead–zinc minerals, and the minimization of the amount of sulfur dioxide gas emitted. Co-roasting oxidized lead–zinc ore with sulfide ore (10–30 wt. pct) at 650–700 °C has been shown to result in the selective oxidation of pyrite and sulfidation of oxidized lead and zinc minerals. The proposed method of processing polymetallic ores is capable of simultaneously involving not only oxidized lead–zinc ores but also refractory sulfide ores, thereby extending the operational lifespan of the mining enterprise and reducing the environmental impact. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermochemical Processing of Low-Grade Ores and Mineral-Related Wastes)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

15 pages, 8532 KiB  
Article
Effect and Mechanism of CaO on Iron Recovery and Desulfurization by Reduction Roasting-Magnetic Separation of High-Sulfur Cyanide Tailings
by Zhengyao Li, Jinzhi Wei, Na Liu, Tichang Sun and Xuewen Wang
Minerals 2022, 12(2), 239; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12020239 - 12 Feb 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2800
Abstract
The increasing demand for iron ore in the world causes the continuous exhaustion of mineral resources. The utilization of iron in secondary resources has become of focus. The present study was carried out to recover iron from high-sulfur cyanide tailings by coal-based reduction [...] Read more.
The increasing demand for iron ore in the world causes the continuous exhaustion of mineral resources. The utilization of iron in secondary resources has become of focus. The present study was carried out to recover iron from high-sulfur cyanide tailings by coal-based reduction roasting-magnetic separation. The mechanism of CaO to increase iron recovery and reduce sulfur was investigated by observing CO and CO2 gas composition produced by the reaction, mineral composition and microstructure, distribution characteristics of sulfur, and the intercalation relationship between iron particles and gangue minerals. The results showed that the addition of CaO could increase the gasification rate of the reducing agent, increase the amount of CO2 gas produced, promote the reduction of iron minerals, and improve the metallization degree of iron. When CaO was not added, sulfur was mainly transformed into troilite, which was closely connected with iron particles and was difficult to remove by grinding and magnetic separation. With the addition of CaO, CaO preferentially formed oldhamite with active sulfur, which reduced the formation of troilite. Oldhamite was basically distributed in an independent gangue structure. There was a clear boundary between iron particles and gangue minerals. Oldhamite could be removed by grinding-magnetic separation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermochemical Processing of Low-Grade Ores and Mineral-Related Wastes)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 2913 KiB  
Article
Utilization of Metallurgy—Beneficiation Combination Strategy to Decrease TiO2 in Titanomagnetite Concentrate before Smelting
by Pan Chen, Yameng Sun, Lei Yang, Rui Xu, Yangyong Luo, Xianyun Wang, Jian Cao and Jinggang Wang
Minerals 2021, 11(12), 1419; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11121419 - 15 Dec 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2607
Abstract
Excessive TiO2 in titanomagnetite concentrates (TC) causes unavoidable problems in subsequent smelting. At present, this issue cannot be addressed using traditional mineral processing technology. Herein, a strategy of metallurgy-beneficiation combination to decrease the TiO2 grade in TC before smelting was proposed. [...] Read more.
Excessive TiO2 in titanomagnetite concentrates (TC) causes unavoidable problems in subsequent smelting. At present, this issue cannot be addressed using traditional mineral processing technology. Herein, a strategy of metallurgy-beneficiation combination to decrease the TiO2 grade in TC before smelting was proposed. Roasting TC with calcium carbonate (CaCO3) together with magnetic separation proved to be a viable strategy. Under optimal conditions (roasting temperature = 1400 °C, CaCO3 ratio = 20%, and magnetic intensity = 0.18 T), iron and titanium was separated efficiently (Fe grade: 56.6 wt.%; Fe recovery: 70 wt.%; TiO2 grade 3 wt.%; TiO2 removal: 84.1 wt.%). X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis were used to study the mechanisms. The results showed that Ti in TC could react with CaO to form CaTiO3, and thermodynamic calculations provided a relevant theoretical basis. In sum, the metallurgy-beneficiation combination strategy was proven as an effective method to decrease unwanted TiO2 in TC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermochemical Processing of Low-Grade Ores and Mineral-Related Wastes)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop