Advances in the Theory and Technology of Biohydrometallurgy
A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 January 2026 | Viewed by 625
Special Issue Editors
Interests: biometallurgy principles and technology development; mining environmental biotechnology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Biohydrometallurgical technology has the great advantages of low cost and low carbon emissions. It has been industrialized for decades, especially in copper, gold, and uranium ore processing, and its application is currently being expanded to other raw and secondary resources. The biohydrometallurgical process involves complex chemical and biological reactions. With advanced molecular biological and high-resolution techniques, the evolving genetic makeup of the microbial communities present in metal bio-extraction systems and their interaction with minerals have become better understood. Moreover, researchers and industries continue to develop and optimize biohydrometallurgical techniques to broaden their range of applications and elevate their efficiency. This Special Issue aims at presenting recent theoretical and technological advances in biohydrometallurgy using raw materials and secondary resources, such as important deposits, refractory ores, low-grade polymetallic wastes, sludges, slags, and electronic waste. In terms of theory, knowledge of the molecular and genetic makeup of bioleaching microbes and the interaction between microbes and minerals is crucial for a deeper understanding of the bioleaching mechanism. Critical aspects influencing the efficiency of biohydrometallurgy, including physical, chemical, and biological factors, should also be emphasized to increase leaching efficiency. Studies on leaching kinetics, process modeling, reactor design, life cycle analysis, and socio-economic aspects are encouraged in order to drive industrialization. Contributions on new technological developments for enhancing bioleaching efficiency, as well as on industrial instances of biohydrometallurgy, are also welcome.
Dr. Yan Jia
Dr. He Shang
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- biohydrometallurgy
- bioleaching
- bio-oxidation
- biomining
- microbe-mineral interaction
- microbial communities
- genomics/metabolomics/transcriptomics
- sulfide minerals
- secondary resources
- leaching kinetics
- process modeling
- reactor design
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