Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.0
3.7
Journals
Materials
Special Issues
Extraction and Recycling of Critical Metals
materials-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Materials Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Extraction and Recycling of Critical Metals

A Special Issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944) belonging to the section "Metals and Alloys".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 1624

Editor

Prof. Dr. Jianxun Song

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Zhongyuan Critical Metals Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, Science Road 100, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Interests: rare metal extraction; electrochemical metallurgy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The sustainable extraction and recycling of critical metals have become increasingly vital in materials science, driven by the growing demand for advanced functional materials in energy storage, electronics, and high-performance alloys. Recent developments in materials design and processing—including novel adsorbents, selective membranes, catalytic surfaces, and electrochemical interfaces—are creating new opportunities to improve the efficiency and selectivity of metal recovery systems at both microscopic and macroscopic scales.

This Special Issue aims to highlight materials-focused innovations in the extraction and recycling of critical metals (including REEs, rare metals, scattered metals, and rare precious metals), with particular emphasis on the following: 

  • Advanced materials for metal recovery: Novel adsorbents, membranes, catalysts, and electrode materials with enhanced selectivity and capacity;
  • Materials processing techniques: Innovative approaches in hydrometallurgical and electrochemical processing of metal-bearing materials;
  • Microstructural characterization: Fundamental studies of metal–material interactions, interface phenomena, and phase transformations;
  • Materials design for recyclability: Development of easily separable composites, degradable coatings, and recycling-friendly material systems;
  • Performance evaluation: Durability and lifecycle assessment of recycled metal-containing materials.

We welcome contributions that address the materials science aspects of critical metal recovery through original research articles, communications, and comprehensive reviews. All submissions should maintain a clear focus on material structure–property relationships, novel material systems, or materials processing techniques relevant to metal extraction and recycling. 

Prof. Dr. Jianxun Song
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 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-anonymized 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

  • extraction
  • separation
  • refining
  • recycling
  • critical metals

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.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

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

Published Papers (2 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

Jump to: Review

16 pages, 4804 KB  
Article
Metal Recovery from Lunar Regolith via Deep Eutectic Solvent Electrolysis for In Situ Resource Utilization
by Vesna S. Cvetković, Nataša M. Petrović, Ksenija Milicevic Neumann, Bernd Friedrich and Jovan N. Jovićević
Materials 2026, 19(14), 3120; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19143120 - 21 Jul 2026
Viewed by 508
Abstract
Sustaining human presence on the Moon depends on access to strategic metals, which can be achieved by directly utilizing extraterrestrial resources through in situ resource utilization (ISRU). This study presents novel insights and preliminary results into a previously unexplored strategy for metals extraction [...] Read more.
Sustaining human presence on the Moon depends on access to strategic metals, which can be achieved by directly utilizing extraterrestrial resources through in situ resource utilization (ISRU). This study presents novel insights and preliminary results into a previously unexplored strategy for metals extraction from the lunar regolith simulant Lunar Mare Soil (LMS-1) using deep eutectic solvents (DESs). Based on inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) measurements, the solubility of major oxide components of the regolith, SiO2, Al2O3, TiO2, Cr2O3, MgO and FeOT, was investigated in ethaline (choline chloride:ethylene glycol, ChCl:EG) as well as reline (ChCl:Urea). Although both DESs enabled oxide dissolution, reline exhibited significantly higher dissolution efficiency, due to the additional hydrogen-bond donor sites, NH and CO groups from urea, as well as high chloride activity in the reline. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) revealed that dissolved metal species in the reline–regolith system undergo complex multivalent redox transitions. The equilibrium potentials of the metals were determined and correlated with the order in which the metals should be electrodeposited on the cathode from an electrolyte containing dissolved lunar regolith. Based on the data from electrochemical measurements, parameters for electrolysis were selected. At less negative overpotentials, the deposit consisted mainly of Si, while Al, Cr, and Fe, along with Si, were electrodeposited at more negative potentials. The results highlight the importance of considering the selective electrochemical extraction of metals from DESs using lunar regolith as the source. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Extraction and Recycling of Critical Metals)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

40 pages, 3171 KB  
Review
Exploring the Potential for Yttrium Recovery from Secondary Sources: (Bio)hydrometallurgical and Solvometallurgical Routes
by Ewa Rudnik
Materials 2026, 19(13), 2788; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19132788 - 1 Jul 2026
Viewed by 640
Abstract
Yttrium is one of the lesser-known critical elements, but it has recently gained significant market attention due to a dramatic price increase of up to 1400% in Europe. Although its primary application is in phosphors (e.g., in LEDs), modern society heavily depends on [...] Read more.
Yttrium is one of the lesser-known critical elements, but it has recently gained significant market attention due to a dramatic price increase of up to 1400% in Europe. Although its primary application is in phosphors (e.g., in LEDs), modern society heavily depends on these technologies, making yttrium indispensable. However, the limited availability of yttrium raises concerns about its long-term supply. Therefore, there is a need for efficient techniques to recover yttrium from secondary materials to ensure a stable supply. While the wastes contain only trace amounts of yttrium and often have complex elemental compositions, they are more readily available than primary sources. The yttrium content ranges from a few percent in spent phosphors to several hundred ppm in red mud, around a few dozen ppm in phosphogypsum, and up to several ppm in coal and coal fly ashes. Although conventional hydrometallurgical methods are commonly used, they lack selectivity for yttrium recovery. In contrast, unconventional solvometallurgical and bioleaching approaches currently play a relatively minor role in recovery applications. This review discusses a range of methods investigated for yttrium recovery from different types of secondary resources, including pretreatment (where applicable), leaching, and subsequent yttrium recovery from the resulting leachates. Although the chemical and phase compositions of yttrium-bearing waste materials differ substantially, necessitating tailored treatment strategies, acid leaching remains the predominant extraction route and is most commonly followed by solvent extraction and/or oxalate precipitation. Most studies reported to date have been conducted at the laboratory scale. Despite progress and the development of promising recovery concepts, the efficient separation of high-purity yttrium from other rare earth elements and co-existing impurities continues to represent the key obstacle to commercial-scale application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Extraction and Recycling of Critical Metals)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop