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Metals
Special Issues
Metal Extraction and Recovery from Slag: Separation and Reduction Processes
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Metal Extraction and Recovery from Slag: Separation and Reduction Processes

A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Extractive Metallurgy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 831

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Minghua Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
Interests: solid waste treatment; carbon reduction; electrolysis
Prof. Dr. Hongying Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
Interests: gold beneficiation; biometallurgy; heavy metal hydrometallurgy; metallurgical process mineralogy; industrial wastewater and waste residue resource utilization and productization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

By utilizing the differences in physical and chemical properties between metals and slag, such as density, magnetism, melting point, etc., effective separation of metal particles from slag phase can be achieved, including physical, chemical, electromagnetic, and other separations. The reduction reaction is a key step in achieving metal recovery in slag metallurgy; by adding reducing agents (such as carbon, aluminum, silicon, etc.) to the slag, carbon thermal, aluminum thermal, and silicon thermal reduction reactions occur, reducing the metal oxides in the slag to metallic elements, and further separating them to obtain the product. The metal recycling methods include smelting, hydrometallurgy, and the pyrometallurgy–hydrometallurgy mixed method.

Separation, reduction, and metal recovery technologies in slag metallurgy are key in recycling and achieving sustainable development for metal resources. By optimizing separation, reduction, and recovery technologies, efficiency and purity in metal recovery operations can be improved, reducing resource waste and environmental pollution. In the future, with continuous technological advancements and innovations, the slag metallurgy industry will usher in a broader development prospect. The purpose of creating a special journal is to strengthen international cooperation and exchange, and to allow for joint promotion of progress and applications of slag metallurgy technology.

Dr. Minghua Wang
Prof. Dr. Hongying Yang
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. Metals 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 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

  • pyrometallurgy
  • hydrometallurgy
  • separation
  • thermal reduction

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2423 KB  
Article
Assessing the Potential of Heterotrophic Bioleaching to Extract Metals from Mafic Tailings
by Kamalpreet Kaur Brar, Avi Du Preez and Nancy N. Perreault
Metals 2026, 16(2), 178; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16020178 - 2 Feb 2026
Viewed by 130
Abstract
Mafic mine tailings are highly resistant to bioleaching due to their silicate-rich composition, low sulfide content, and strong buffering capacity. This study aimed to assess the potential use of heterotrophic bioleaching to promote the release of metals from mafic tailings by evaluating the [...] Read more.
Mafic mine tailings are highly resistant to bioleaching due to their silicate-rich composition, low sulfide content, and strong buffering capacity. This study aimed to assess the potential use of heterotrophic bioleaching to promote the release of metals from mafic tailings by evaluating the organic acid production and leaching capabilities of indigenous bacterial isolates and a known lactic acid producer, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ATCC 8014. Indigenous acid-producing heterotrophic bacteria were isolated from a vanadium-titanium-bearing magnetite tailings in Québec, Canada, and screened for organic acid production in various culture media. The most active bacteria were L. plantarum and two isolates identified by their 16S rRNA gene as Enterococcus (CBGM-1C) and Acetobacter (BL-F) sp. They produced significant quantities of lactic acids, followed by acetic, citric, and gluconic acids during glucose metabolism, through fermentative or oxidative pathways. A two-step bioleaching process was implemented, consisting of an initial organic acid production phase followed by tailings leaching at 5% pulp density over 10 days at 30 °C. Metal solubilization and mineralogical analyses demonstrated strain-dependent and metal-specific mobilization, with zinc being the only element efficiently leached (up to ~74% recovery by L. plantarum). XRD analyses confirmed partial dissolution and reduced crystallinity of key silicate phases without secondary mineral formation. These findings indicate that heterotrophic leaching can selectively mobilize more labile metals such as Zn from alkaline, silicate-rich tailings, although its overall efficiency for refractory elements remains limited under the tested conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal Extraction and Recovery from Slag: Separation and Reduction Processes)
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11 pages, 2676 KB  
Article
Study on the Kinetics of Zinc Leaching Residue Smelting Reduction
by Zihao Wang, Mei Zhou, Yingjiang Wang, Xinwei Du and Qiuyue Zhao
Metals 2025, 15(12), 1351; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15121351 - 9 Dec 2025
Viewed by 432
Abstract
This study investigates the desulfurization and smelting reduction processes of zinc leaching residue and analyzes the kinetics of the desulfurization and smelting reduction processes of zinc leaching residue. The results showed that, when the desulfurization temperature was 1623 K and the desulfurization time [...] Read more.
This study investigates the desulfurization and smelting reduction processes of zinc leaching residue and analyzes the kinetics of the desulfurization and smelting reduction processes of zinc leaching residue. The results showed that, when the desulfurization temperature was 1623 K and the desulfurization time was 27 min, the desulfurization rate of zinc leaching residue was over 95%. When the melting reduction temperature is 1773 K and the melting reduction time is 40 min, the zinc reduction rate is over 98%, and when the melting reduction time is 100 min, the iron reduction rate is over 98%. The desulfurization process of zinc leaching residue is jointly controlled by mass transfer diffusion and interfacial chemical reactions (1373~1623 K), and the kinetic equation is [1 − (1 − x)1/3]2 = 21,897.11 × exp[−202.881/RT]t. The smelting reduction process of desulfurization slag is jointly controlled by interfacial chemical reactions and mass transfer diffusion (1673~1773 K). The kinetic equation of the zinc smelting reduction process is 1 − 2R/3 − (1 − R)2/3 = 4185.03 × exp[−194.78/RT]t. The kinetic equation of the iron smelting reduction process is 1 − (1 − R)1/3 = 8672.22 × exp[−207.13/RT]t. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal Extraction and Recovery from Slag: Separation and Reduction Processes)
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