Waste Minerals, Sediments and Their Environmental Mineralogy

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (23 December 2024) | Viewed by 3205

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Consulting Geochemist, Formerly with BRGM (Retired), 45060 Orléans, France
Interests: geochemistry; XRF; mineralogy; environmental chemistry
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Minerals are the most abundant resource, and are also the largest waste flows generated by mankind, if we include mining waste. They represent both a major potential and challenge for circular economy strategies. The valorisation of mineral waste as secondary minerals useful for the economy allows to reduce primary extraction needs and waste disposal impacts and costs. Research on waste mineralogy, chemistry and characterisation, mineral processing, decontamination, handling, environmental impacts (including GHG emissions, water resources, and land use) and secondary applications of minerals is of key importance for creating a more sustainable planet.

Dr. Bruno Lemière
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • secondary minerals
  • circular economy
  • mineralogy
  • chemistry and characterization
  • mineral processing

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 5036 KiB  
Article
Recovery of Different Cu-Phases from Industrial Wastewater
by Iphigenia Franziska Anagnostopoulos and Soraya Heuss-Aßbichler
Minerals 2025, 15(1), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15010023 - 27 Dec 2024
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Abstract
The dominant treatment process for removing heavy metals from industrial wastewater is chemical neutralisation precipitation using lime milk as a precipitation agent, resulting in a highly voluminous hydroxide sludge with a low heavy metal concentration. These sludges are predominantly landfilled, and the metals [...] Read more.
The dominant treatment process for removing heavy metals from industrial wastewater is chemical neutralisation precipitation using lime milk as a precipitation agent, resulting in a highly voluminous hydroxide sludge with a low heavy metal concentration. These sludges are predominantly landfilled, and the metals are lost to the circular economy. At the same time, metals are urgently needed as raw materials. A new approach is represented by the low-pressure, low-energy Specific Product-Oriented Precipitation process (SPOP). This approach, however, requires the adjustment of various reaction parameters for optimal operation. This study presents the impacts of the stirring rate during the reaction and the Fe concentration in the solution on the recovery of Cu from Cu-enriched electroplating wastewater. Three different recovery options are described: Option (1), the formation of CuO; Option (2), the generation of brochantite, a Cu-hydroxysulphate; and Option (3), the incorporation of Cu into ferrite. Tenorite (CuO) is precipitated at 40 °C reaction temperature at a low stirring rate of 100–200 rpm. At an accelerated stirring rate of 400–500 rpm, brochantite (Cu4(OH)6SO4) is formed. With high Fe concentrations and a molar ratio of Cu:Fe of 1:2, Cu-ferrite (CuFe2O4) is the precipitation product. In any case, the achieved recovery rates in the treated wastewater are better than 99.9%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Minerals, Sediments and Their Environmental Mineralogy)
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15 pages, 3423 KiB  
Article
Preparation of Humic Acid from Weathered Coal by Mechanical Energy Activation and Its Properties
by Xiujuan Feng, Rilong Xiao, Sékou Mohamed Condé, Chengliang Dong, Yanping Xun, Dalong Guo, Hui Liu, Kunpeng Liu and Mingzhi Liang
Minerals 2024, 14(7), 648; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14070648 - 25 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2059
Abstract
Humic acid (HA) is rich in functional groups with high activity, which can effectively improve the soil environment. The large reserves of weathered coal in China provide sufficient raw material guarantee for HA extraction and utilization. At present, the activation side of weathered [...] Read more.
Humic acid (HA) is rich in functional groups with high activity, which can effectively improve the soil environment. The large reserves of weathered coal in China provide sufficient raw material guarantee for HA extraction and utilization. At present, the activation side of weathered coal is still the main technical difficulty that restricts HA extraction. In this study, the weathered coal from Inner Mongolia was used as the raw material, and the mechanical energy was used to activate the weathered coal through a planetary ball mill, which improved the extraction rate of HA and optimized the molecular structure and composition of HA. The effects of four parameters, namely, ball material ratio, ball milling time, ball milling speed, and ball size, on the free HA content of weathered coal were investigated, the HA was extracted by alkaline extraction method, and the activated weathered coal and the extracted HA were characterized. The results showed that a ball material ratio of 9:1, a ball milling speed of 200 r/min, a ball milling time of 200 min, a milling ball size of Ф5:Ф10:Ф15 = 48:42:45 and 56:42:37 are the optimal parameters for the mechanical energy activation, and the HA extraction rate of activated weathered coal under these conditions reached 82.3%, which was 15% higher than that of the unactivated one. Moreover, the aroma of the ball-milled weathered coal increased, the content of oxygenated functional groups increased, and the molecular weight and aroma of HA increased. This provides scientific theoretical guidance for the preparation of HA with high aromaticity and large molecular weight from weathered coal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Minerals, Sediments and Their Environmental Mineralogy)
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