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Advances in Hydrometallurgy of Metals: Sources, Pretreatment, Leaching, Extraction, Recovery,...
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Advances in Hydrometallurgy of Metals: Sources, Pretreatment, Leaching, Extraction, Recovery, Raffination

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 July 2026 | Viewed by 2310

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Željko Kamberović

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: extractive metallurgy; hydrometallurgy; hydro-electrorefining; recycling technologies; metal recovery; resource efficiency; waste valorization; sustainable materials management; circular economy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global demand for critical and strategic metals continues to rise, driven by technological innovation and the transition to a low-carbon economy. Hydrometallurgy provides a versatile, efficient, and environmentally sustainable pathway for metal extraction and recovery from both primary ores and secondary sources, including industrial residues, e-waste, and end-of-life products.

This Special Issue aims to present the latest scientific and technological advancements across all stages of hydrometallurgical processing. Topics of interest include novel approaches to feed characterization, pretreatment, innovative leaching techniques (e.g., bioleaching, mechanochemical activation, ionic liquids), selective extraction and separation processes, recovery methods, and advanced raffination strategies. Emphasis will be given to process intensification, circular economy practices, environmental performance, and industrial scalability.

Contributions from both academia and industry are welcome, including original research articles, reviews, and case studies that highlight breakthroughs in process development, modeling, and real-world applications. By fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and integrating fundamental research with technological practice, this Special Issue seeks to promote sustainable hydrometallurgical solutions for the metal industries of the future.

Prof. Dr. Željko Kamberović
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-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

  • hydrometallurgy
  • metal recovery
  • leaching processes
  • extraction and separation
  • raffination and purification
  • secondary raw materials
  • critical raw materials
  • green technologies
  • sustainable metallurgy
  • circular economy in hydrometallurgy

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 7085 KB  
Article
Hydrothermal Synthesis of Hierarchical Boehmite from Co-Processed Stainless Steel Dust and Aluminum Dross Residue
by Hongda Yao, Nan Wang, Min Chen and Xiaoqing Chen
Metals 2026, 16(5), 455; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16050455 - 22 Apr 2026
Viewed by 293
Abstract
Stainless steel dust and aluminum dross are large-volume solid wastes in the metallurgical industry. Synergistic treatment of these wastes recovers some metals but yields an Al-rich residue (Al2O3 > 50%) that represents both a resource loss and an environmental threat [...] Read more.
Stainless steel dust and aluminum dross are large-volume solid wastes in the metallurgical industry. Synergistic treatment of these wastes recovers some metals but yields an Al-rich residue (Al2O3 > 50%) that represents both a resource loss and an environmental threat if untreated. In this work, boehmite (γ-AlOOH) was synthesized via a hydrothermal route using the Al-rich residue as the aluminum source. The aim was to valorize this waste stream while comprehensively evaluating the product’s phase, morphology, pore characteristics, efficacy and underlying mechanism for Cr(VI) removal from aqueous solutions. The hydrothermal process was optimized as pH = 11.0, under which high-purity and well-crystallized γ-AlOOH was successfully prepared without harmful by-products. The product had uniform particle size distribution without obvious agglomeration, with a specific surface area of 156.7 m2/g, pore volume of 0.60 cm3/g and average pore diameter of 14.6 nm. The boehmite synthesized at pH 11.0 achieved a Cr(VI) removal efficiency of 31.28% and a maximum adsorption capacity of 15.64 mg/g. This study provides a new path for the resource utilization of high-aluminum residue, with both environmental and economic benefits and potential application value. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Hydrometallurgy of Metals: Sources, Pretreatment, Leaching, Extraction, Recovery, Raffination)
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28 pages, 13315 KB  
Article
Thermodynamic and Kinetic Analysis of Lead Leaching from Pretreated Pb–Ag Jarosite Sludge by Chloride Solution
by Dimitrije Anđić, Miroslav Sokić, Aleksandar Jovanović, Nataša Gajić, Jovana Djokić, Marija Koprivica and Željko Kamberović
Metals 2026, 16(4), 367; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16040367 - 26 Mar 2026
Viewed by 441
Abstract
Waste products of zinc hydrometallurgy, such as Pb–Ag jarosite sludge, represent a significant environmental problem due to toxic properties associated with elevated lead content. At the same time, this material has economic value, making its valorization beneficial from both ecological and financial perspectives. [...] Read more.
Waste products of zinc hydrometallurgy, such as Pb–Ag jarosite sludge, represent a significant environmental problem due to toxic properties associated with elevated lead content. At the same time, this material has economic value, making its valorization beneficial from both ecological and financial perspectives. This study investigates the chloride leaching of pretreated Pb–Ag jarosite sludge, which underwent sulphation roasting followed by water leaching. The experiments were conducted with a constant solid/liquid ratio of 1:20, a stirring rate of 150 rpm, and using a 4 mol dm3 MgCl2 solution as the leaching agent, while temperature (40–80 °C) and leaching time (up to 120 min) were varied. The results showed that temperature significantly affects the lead leaching degree, with the highest (95%) achieved at 80 °C after 60 min. Kinetic analysis revealed a diffusion-controlled mechanism, with an activation energy of 18.40 kJ mol−1. Due to the characteristics of the leaching curve, the process was divided into four segments, with corresponding activation energies determined for each segment (16.48, 11.80, 13.88, and 20.50 kJ mol−1). The proposed MgCl2 system enables efficient lead leaching with a reduced amount of leaching agent, thus representing a more sustainable approach to the valorization of Pb–Ag jarosite sludge. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Hydrometallurgy of Metals: Sources, Pretreatment, Leaching, Extraction, Recovery, Raffination)
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17 pages, 3334 KB  
Article
Roasting of Spodumene with Calcite at Atmospheric Pressure—Implications of Trace Potassium
by Enrique Garcia-Franco, María-Pilar Martínez-Hernando, Roberto Paredes, Yolanda Sanchez-Palencia, Pedro Mora and Marcelo F. Ortega
Metals 2026, 16(1), 59; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16010059 - 2 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1142
Abstract
Lithium is an essential material for lightweight batteries. Traditional mining of soluble salts expanded to include the extraction of hard rocks, which requires their solubilization through roasting. Among hard lithium rocks, spodumene has recently received attention from the scientific community. Its metallurgical processing [...] Read more.
Lithium is an essential material for lightweight batteries. Traditional mining of soluble salts expanded to include the extraction of hard rocks, which requires their solubilization through roasting. Among hard lithium rocks, spodumene has recently received attention from the scientific community. Its metallurgical processing can be classified according to the type of reagents, as well as the operating temperature and pressure. The use of calcium carbonate as a natural alkali avoids aggressive chemicals such as sulfuric acid or caustic soda. In this article, 0.5 g of jewelry-grade spodumene was loaded into a ceramic crucible with 2.5 g of reducing agent in a tandem of roasting at 1050 °C-1 bar-30 min and leaching with neutral water at 90 °C-1 bar-20 min at a water/clinker mass ratio of 25. Measurements by XRD, ICP-OES, and SEM-EDX suggest a pathway of spodumene cracking because of poor contact with the reductant. Potassium present in the crucible acts as a flux and encapsulates spodumene crystals, causing lithium to end up bound to silica. While lithium metasilicate is barely soluble in water, leaching potassium aluminate hoards in the liquid. The empirical observations were supported with thermodynamic spontaneity studies, which required compiling the mineral properties based on open reference tabulations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Hydrometallurgy of Metals: Sources, Pretreatment, Leaching, Extraction, Recovery, Raffination)
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