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Advances in Rock and Mineral Materials—Second Edition
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Advances in Rock and Mineral Materials—Second Edition

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2026 | Viewed by 1150

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Gorazd Žibret

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mineral Resources and Geochemistry, Geological Survey of Slovenia, Dimičeva ulica 14, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: mineral raw materials; ore deposits; construction materials; secondary raw materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Vilma Ducman

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory for Cements, Mortars & Ceramics, Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute, Dimičeva ulica 12, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: alkali activated materials; geopolymers; recycling; lightweight aggregate
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lea Žibret

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute, Dimičeva 12, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: alkali-activated material; clay-based materials; clay bricks; secondary raw materials; geology; X-ray diffraction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Material sciences support society through the research and development of new, advanced, environmentally friendly, and health-friendly materials for us to use in everyday activities. Among them are mineral raw materials, like iron and ferro-alloy metals, non-ferrous metals, precious metals, industrial minerals, mineral fuels, and materials for the construction industry. These "primary" raw materials are extracted from the earth and are precursors for various engineered materials, which are used for a vast number of different products, including products for construction, transportation, energy production and supply, telecommunications, home appliances, products for green transition, packaging, etc. To safeguard primary raw materials, the use of "secondary" raw materials has been gaining increased importance. These include recycled raw materials that can be used in manufacturing processes instead of or alongside virgin raw materials

This Special Issue aims to explore various aspects within mineral material life cycles (both primary and secondary): geological occurrences and extraction, processing and metallurgy, engineered mineral materials (such as cements, ceramics, geopolymers, composites, adsorbents, etc.), and their application, recycling, and disposal. Papers should explore chemical, geochemical, mineralogical, and environmental factors; engineering; life cycle assessment; and other aspects related to rock and mineral materials.

Dr. Gorazd Žibret
Dr. Vilma Ducman
Dr. Lea Žibret
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.

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. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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

  • primary and secondary mineral raw materials
  • engineered materials
  • life cycle analysis
  • construction
  • disposal
  • recycling

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 4401 KB  
Article
Impact of High Energy Milling and Mineral Additives on a Carbonate–Quartz–Apatite System for Ecological Applications
by Vilma Petkova, Katerina Mihaylova, Ekaterina Serafimova, Rositsa Titorenkova, Liliya Tsvetanova and Andres Trikkel
Materials 2025, 18(15), 3508; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18153508 - 26 Jul 2025
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Abstract
In this study, high-energy milled (HEM) samples of natural phosphorites from Estonian deposits were investigated. The activation was performed via planetary mill with Cr-Ni grinders with a diameter of 20 mm. This method is an ecological alternative, since it eliminates the disadvantages of [...] Read more.
In this study, high-energy milled (HEM) samples of natural phosphorites from Estonian deposits were investigated. The activation was performed via planetary mill with Cr-Ni grinders with a diameter of 20 mm. This method is an ecological alternative, since it eliminates the disadvantages of conventional acid methods, namely the release of gaseous and solid technogenic products. The aim of the study is to determine the changes in the structure to follow the solid-state transitions and the isomorphic substitutions in the anionic sub-lattice in the structure of the main mineral apatite in the samples from Estonia, under the influence of HEM activation. It is also interesting to investigate the influence of HEM on structural-phase transformations on the structure of impurity minerals-free calcite/dolomite, pyrite, quartz, as well as to assess their influence on the thermal behavior of the main mineral apatite. The effect of HEM is monitored by using a complex of analytical methods, such as chemical analysis, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF) analysis, and Fourier-transformed infrared (FTIR) analysis. The obtained results prove the correlation in the behavior of the studied samples with regard to their quartz content and bonded or non-bonded carbonate ions. After HEM activation of the raw samples, the following is established: (i) anionic isomorphism with formation of A and A-B type carbonate-apatites and hydroxyl-fluorapatite; (ii) solid-phase synthesis of calcium orthophosphate-CaHPO4 (monetite) and dicalcium diphosphate-β-Ca2P2O7; (iii) enhanced chemical reactivity by approximately three times by increasing the solubility via HEM activation. The dry milling method used is a suitable approach for solving technological projects to improve the composition and structure of soils, increasing soil fertility by introducing soluble forms of calcium phosphates. It provides a variety of application purposes depending on the composition, impurities, and processing as a soil improver, natural mineral fertilizer, or activator. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Rock and Mineral Materials—Second Edition)
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23 pages, 15083 KB  
Article
Reactivity of Shale to Supercritical CO2: Insights from Microstructural Characterization and Mineral Phase Evolution in Caney Shales for CCUS Applications
by Loic Bethel Dje and Mileva Radonjic
Materials 2025, 18(14), 3382; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18143382 - 18 Jul 2025
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Abstract
Understanding mineral–fluid interactions in shale under supercritical CO2 (scCO2) conditions is relevant for assessing long-term geochemical containment. This study characterizes mineralogical transformations and elemental redistribution in five Caney Shale samples serving as proxies for reservoir (R1, R2, R3) and caprock [...] Read more.
Understanding mineral–fluid interactions in shale under supercritical CO2 (scCO2) conditions is relevant for assessing long-term geochemical containment. This study characterizes mineralogical transformations and elemental redistribution in five Caney Shale samples serving as proxies for reservoir (R1, R2, R3) and caprock (D1, D2) facies, subjected to 30-day static exposure to pure scCO2 at 60 °C and 17.23 MPa (2500 psi), with no brine or impurities introduced. SEM-EDS analyses were conducted before and after exposure, with mineral phases classified into silicates, carbonates, sulfides, and organic matter. Initial compositions were dominated by quartz (38–47 wt.%), illite (16–23 wt.%), carbonates (12–18 wt.%), and organic matter (8–11 wt.%). Post-exposure, carbonate loss ranged from 15 to 40% in reservoir samples and up to 20% in caprock samples. Illite and K-feldspar showed depletion of Fe2+, Mg2+, and K+ at grain edges and cleavages, while pyrite underwent oxidation with Fe redistribution. Organic matter exhibited scCO2-induced surface alteration and apparent sorption effects, most pronounced in R2 and R3. Elemental mapping revealed Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+, and Si4+ mobilization near reactive interfaces, though no secondary mineral precipitates formed. Reservoir samples developed localized porosity, whereas caprock samples retained more structural clay integrity. The results advance understanding of mineral reactivity and elemental fluxes in shale-based CO2 sequestration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Rock and Mineral Materials—Second Edition)
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