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Materials
Special Issues
Sustainable Mineral Processing and Metallurgy: Intensity Reduction and Resource Recovery
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Sustainable Mineral Processing and Metallurgy: Intensity Reduction and Resource Recovery

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Manufacturing Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2026 | Viewed by 425

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xinbo Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
Interests: sustainable metallurgy; separation technology; mineral materials processing; rare earth element and critical materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wencai Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
Interests: mineral processing; extractive metallurgy; critical elements recovery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Qingqing Huang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mining Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Interests: mineral processing; extractive metallurgy; critical metal recovery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The mineral processing and metallurgical industries are facing increasing challenges in improving efficiency, minimizing environmental footprints, and ensuring the long-term availability of critical resources. This Special Issue aims to showcase innovative yet technically feasible approaches that lower energy, reagent, and water intensity while enhancing resource utilization. The focus is on practical, scalable processes and material-based strategies that can lead to measurable improvements in production efficiency and waste minimization. Contributions may include novel separation routes, advanced extractive and recycling methods, process chemistry innovations, and integration of emerging materials or process intensification concepts. Both original research and review papers are welcome, particularly those that demonstrate how new ideas can translate into realistic improvements in mineral processing and extractive metallurgy.

Dr. Xinbo Yang
Dr. Wencai Zhang
Dr. Qingqing Huang
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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

  • mineral processing
  • extractive metallurgy
  • process chemistry
  • resource recovery
  • energy efficiency
  • water efficiency
  • process innovation
  • innovative materials

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 4357 KB  
Article
One-Step Preparation of High-Purity Sodium Tungstate from Wolframite via Alkali Fusion and the Mechanism of Impurity Directional Migration
by Hailong Bai, Liwen Zhang, Xiaoli Xi and Zuoren Nie
Materials 2026, 19(5), 932; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19050932 - 28 Feb 2026
Viewed by 222
Abstract
The extraction of high-purity sodium tungstate from complex wolframite concentrates presents significant challenges due to the limitations of conventional processing methods, which are often energy-intensive and generate substantial secondary waste. In this study, we propose a novel phase-regulated alkali fusion approach for the [...] Read more.
The extraction of high-purity sodium tungstate from complex wolframite concentrates presents significant challenges due to the limitations of conventional processing methods, which are often energy-intensive and generate substantial secondary waste. In this study, we propose a novel phase-regulated alkali fusion approach for the one-step production of high-purity Na2WO4. Using phase-diagram calculations with FactSage in the Na-Fe-Mn-Si-O system, SiO2 was introduced to regulate slag formation, promoting immiscibility between the silicate slag and Na2WO4 melt. This resulted in a clear stratification of the phases at 1000 °C, enabling spontaneous separation of the Na2WO4-rich salt phase from the slag. The optimized conditions achieved a sodium tungstate purity of 98.76%, with a tungsten recovery rate of 98.91%. Furthermore, impurity elements such as Fe and Mn were preferentially retained in stable silicate/oxide phases within the slag, contributing to the high purity of the sodium tungstate product. This method offers a simplified and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical processes, with significant implications for the efficient utilization of complex tungsten resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Mineral Processing and Metallurgy: Intensity Reduction and Resource Recovery)
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