Materials Proceedings, Volume 15, Issue 1

The recycling of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄) batteries from electric and hybrid vehicles was investigated, by applying mechanical pretreatment and hydrometallurgical methods. The aim was to extract lithium (Li) into the aqueous solution and prec...

Geothermal energy is typically produced from underground reservoirs using water as the working fluid to transfer heat energy to surface and eventually to the delivery point. CO₂ has been proposed as an alternative working fluid due to its improved mo...

Resource efficiency is one of the basic principles of a circular economy (CE). It can be achieved by finding replacements for natural raw materials using anthropogenic raw materials, including by-products from industrial processes and waste materials...

Given the resistance of local communities to mineral extraction (“Not in My Back Yard” NIMBY), the energy transition and the new global economic model, which presupposes a sharp increase in the production of mineral raw materials, represe...

Regulations for building materials in Greece do not allow for the use of recycled aggregates in concrete. The HERACLES Group, aiming to motivate the adoption of provisions in the national regulation, launched a project to evaluate the safe use of rec...

The extraction of nickel and cobalt from a limonitic laterite sample, derived from a mine area in the Greek island of Euboea, was studied via an acid agitation leach process with nitric acid as the leaching agent, to determine the optimal conditions...

This study presents a hydrometallurgical process for the leaching and recovery of tin from waste-printed circuit boards (wPCBs). The process aims to separate and recover tin from filter dust produced during the crushing of wPCBs in a recycling facili...

The main goal of this study was to validate a circular production route utilizing the waste ash generated during stone wool production in cementitious binders. To achieve this goal, two types of waste ash with different compositions and particle size...

In an increasingly globalized and sustainability-conscious market, the environmental attributes of products consist of the information of primary importance for the sustainable development of manufacturing companies. The aim of the paper is to statis...

This paper investigated the potential of thiosulfate as an alternative to cyanide for gold recovery from pressure oxidation residues. Thiosulfate leaching experiments were conducted under controlled conditions, varying parameters such as initial thio...

The Rompas–Prajapat (Au-Co) and Sakatti (Ni-Cu-PGE) mineral deposits are among the only important discoveries of the last few decades in Finland. Both are partially located in Natura 2000 areas, which are among the most sensitive land use conte...

Bauxite residue (BR), a solid waste generated during the Bayer process for alumina production, is a polymetallic source. This study aims to investigate the recovery of Fe, Al, and Na from H₂-reduced BR pellets (under 5 vol% H₂ + 95 vol% N₂ with 45 L/...

In recent years, research has revolved around materials with superior functionality. Despite the encouraging results, their commercial use is limited due to high production costs. The major drawback of nanomaterials is their tendency to form aggregat...

This study documents the geochemical and mineralogical characteristics of three nickel reference materials for the battery minerals industry: ¼ drill cores of typical nickel-rich ores, centimeter-sized chips of run-of-mine ore, and finely grou...

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a great material for high-tech applications due to its unique mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. The Acheson method that is currently used for its production necessitates temperatures between 2000 and 2500 °C,...

The use of toxic chemicals as flotation reagents raises concerns about the sustainability of the process and its environmental impact. Xanthates are a family of efficient collectors that find application in the selective recovery of lead, gold and zi...

The Foundation Industries (FIs) (chemical, cement, ceramic, glass, metal, and paper sectors) are worth GBP 52 billion to the UK economy and produce 75% of its materials and 10% of its total CO₂ emissions. The UK extractive industry annually supplies...

Critical and Strategic Raw Materials European Union’s policies are targeting the production of fundamental raw materials from internal sources, fostering the recovery of relevant quantities of materials from the existing mining facilities in Eu...

Testing on physical equivalents of mining blocks under controlled conditions offers reduced research costs and improved experiment repeatability. In this study, specimens consisting of ore, waste aggregates, and cement as binder are fabricated to res...

In this paper, we propose a solution for the enrichment of CO₂-containing streams from the production of magnesium oxide based on an oxyfuel process for further utilization as raw materials in the carbonation of building materials. A simulation of a...

This project investigated metal recovery from waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) and spent lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) using pure and mixed-culture acidophilic microorganisms. It was shown that the mixed culture could recover 80% of Li and 98% of...

Following the worldwide increasing demand for Critical Raw Materials (CRMs), the Hellenic Geological Survey (HSGME) implemented a national project focused on the re-evaluation of certain Public Mining Areas in Greece. In this framework, exploration a...

To combat the detrimental impacts of climate change and meet the obligations outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement, Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) has emerged as a crucial technology with significant potential for achieving climate ta...

Accurate predictions of hydrate dissociation conditions are of paramount importance for optimizing mitigation strategies and preventing hydrate formation in oil and gas operations. These predictions are crucial for selecting appropriate thermodynamic...

The purpose of this study is to explore the potential influence of cyclic freezing–thawing on the flexural strength of Greek natural stones that are extensively utilized for construction or decoration purposes. Such testing approaches are an in...

More than 218 million tonnes of mineral construction waste are produced in Germany every year. In view of the shortage of domestic raw materials and an increasing demand for lightweight aggregates and gypsum, it is important to find alternative sourc...

The Greek ferronickel industry faces the challenge of restructuring and reoperation in the future, given that privatization is in progress, including the acquisition of the company’s assets for a joint venture enterprise. Within this framework,...

This work provides historical information and examines changes in the methods and equipment used in gold recovery and processing operations. Alluvial gold recovery methods, mainly based on gravity separation combined with mercury (amalgamation), have...

The present research work focuses on the characterization and leachability evaluation of electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) and its vitreous outgrowths produced during vitrification with soda lime recycled glass (SLRG). EAFD is a hazardous industrial w...

The increasing use of rare-earth elements (REEs) in renewable technologies such as electric vehicles and wind turbines is driving a rapid rise in their economic importance. This work investigated the separation of REEs (Nd, Pr, Sm, and Dy) from NdFeB...

Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries are becoming a growing trend as a consequence of EU regulations and their advantages over nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries. The use of LFP batteries is expected to increase considerably globally, creating...

Manganese oxide minerals have a remarkable range of applications. This investigation delves into their potential utility in energy storage, particularly as supercapacitors. The study centers on natural manganese oxides sourced from the Drama region (...

As Europe addresses decarbonization, huge coal mining areas shall be reclaimed and appropriately valorized, creating the post-mining areas. This work assesses their resilience and safety by methodologically addressing multi-hazards threatening closed...

This study examines some relevant limnological and hydrogeochemical characteristics of the most emblematic pit lake of the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB). Corta Atalaya (CA) open pit mine is known for its large size and for being one of the most important...

Hydrogen is increasingly being recognized as a crucial element in reducing carbon emissions in the metallurgical industry. Its use in the steel sector is gaining momentum through various initiatives at high TRL levels. Moreover, hydrogen shows promis...

The conventional lithium extraction method involves the calcination of a-spodumene at 1050 °C so that it can be converted to the more-reactive b-spodumene and then a sulfuric acid roasting step at 250 °C. Lithium is finally extracted via leac...

We tested some possible processes for using ashes from incinerators, both fly and bottom ash, and included older processes, like the Schnabel process, in our assessment. The possibilities for selective leaching with ammonia and ammonium carbonate are...

The batteries sector is expected to play a key role in the energy transition and will need to cope with soaring material demand in the future. Implementing circularity approaches for batteries that enter the EU market is considered to be among the ke...

The application of H₂ to pre-reduce manganese ores is a sustainable approach to performing decarbonization in the ferroalloy industry. The process has been extensively studied and tested in a lab-to-pilot scale in the HAlMan EU project. This work pre...

Wastes of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) include a variety of products, from house appliances to spacecraft equipment, turning them into a significant source of secondary raw materials. Stainless steel is one of the most useful and valuab...

This paper discusses the importance of the energy transition metals Ni, Co and Li in building Europe’s clean technology value chains and meeting the 2050 climate-neutrality goal. Some emerging metal extraction technologies, investigated in the...

Geothermal energy is typically produced by a collection of wells which drain a reservoir. Engineers’ experience and reservoir monitoring data are employed to properly determine the wells in operation and their production rate. However, identify...

In situ analysis techniques of ore and drill core samples provide fast results that can be used to facilitate the decision-making process during the geochemical exploration of ore deposits. This study applies the use of two portable devices, pXRF and...

Bauxite residue (BR), an alkaline industrial waste, is a major byproduct of the alumina production process known as the Bayer process. The Bayer process generates a byproduct known as bauxite residue (red mud). This residue was leached with sulfuric...

CPG (CO₂ Plume Geothermal) has recently emerged as a promising technology to combine the extraction of geothermal energy with underground CO₂ storage, thus achieving double positive results. The idea is to inject CO₂ in its supercritical form to crea...

Supply risk and economic importance are the key aspects controlling the metals classified as critical. Several of the critical metals are also classified as rare based on their restricted geological availability. In Europe, numerous mineralizations h...

Coal bottom ash is used globally in various applications in the construction industry to reduce its negative environmental impacts. In this study, the potential utilization of lignite bottom ash from four power plants in Greece in concrete manufactur...

Risk management (RM) as a management technique has developed significantly over the past 20 years globally to address risks. RM is often linked to financial, reputational, and quality risks. The purpose of this article is to shed light on how the ext...

The aim of this paper is to study and compare the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standard widely used in the Sustainability Reporting of the Raw Material (RM) Industry with the recently emerged European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). T...

In this work, electrodialysis (ED) and electro-electrodialysis (EED) were investigated as technologies for the recovery of Sb from wastes and effluents generated during the pyrometallurgical processing of copper sulfide minerals and the hydrometallur...