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Minerals
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New Extraction Processes for Critical Metals from Non-Metallurgical Resources

 
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New Extraction Processes for Critical Metals from Non-Metallurgical Resources

 

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 474

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rogério C.S. Navarro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 225, Rio de Janeiro 22430-060, RJ, Brazil
Interests: thermodynamics; kinetics; extractive metallurgy
Dr. Amilton Barbosa Botelho Junior

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Interests: hydrometallurgy; separation process; electrodialysis; reverse osmosis; ultrafiltration; microfiltration; solvent extraction; recycling processes; circular economy; SDGs; net-zero emission
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, we are witnessing a rapidly increasing number of initiatives contributing to a sustainable energy transition. However, in many cases, there is a limited supply of critical metals to support the future demand for manufacturing devices for electric transport, green energy production, and the ever-increasing consumption of communication and entertainment gadgets. From this perspective, it is imperative to develop new routes to exploit atypical (non-metallurgical) sources of metals, thereby lowering the gap between the future demand and expected supply and avoid hindering energy transition goals. The use of complex raw materials in the metallurgical industry, such as urban residues, low-grade mineral occurrences, and industry wastes and effluents, is not only desirable but also necessary in order to achieve such goals. In this context, processes such as thermodynamic and kinetic modeling, as well as transport phenomena relating to such challenging reaction systems, provide important foundations for the development of efficient extraction routes.

This Special Issue invites submissions of original scientific research associated with new extractive processes, based on the use of complex raw materials as sources for recovering critical metals, which are strongly guided by accurate thermodynamic, kinetic, and/or transport phenomena modeling. This Special Issue focuses on the following topics:

  1. The study of equilibrium conditions to promote the selective recovery of critical metals;
  2. Simulation and optimization of operational conditions based on kinetic modeling;
  3. Transport phenomena simulations to understand the behavior of proposed equipment for metal extraction under different process scales;
  4. Fundamental research based on the application of either density functional theory or molecular dynamics computations.

Yours faithfully,

Dr. Rogério C.S. Navarro
Dr. Amilton Barbosa Botelho Junior
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Minerals 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 2400 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

  • electronic waste
  • battery metals
  • low-grade resources
  • metallurgical waste
  • pyrometallurgy
  • hydrometallurgy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 2562 KiB  
Article
Metal Recovery from Discarded Lithium-Ion Batteries by Bioleaching Coupled with Minimal Mechanical Pre-Treatment
by Lidia Garcia, Joan Morell, Conxita Lao, Montserrat Solé-Sardans and Antonio D. Dorado
Minerals 2025, 15(6), 566; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15060566 - 26 May 2025
Viewed by 10
Abstract
The rising demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), driven by the growing consumption of electronic devices and the expansion of electric vehicles, is leading to a concerning depletion of primary metal resources and a significant accumulation of electronic waste. This urgent challenge highlights the [...] Read more.
The rising demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), driven by the growing consumption of electronic devices and the expansion of electric vehicles, is leading to a concerning depletion of primary metal resources and a significant accumulation of electronic waste. This urgent challenge highlights the need for sustainable recovery methods to extract valuable metals from spent LIBs, aligning with circular economy principles. In this study, the preparation of spent batteries for the bioleaching process was achieved with minimal manipulation. This included a preliminary discharge to ensure safety in subsequent processes and a brief crushing to facilitate the access of leaching agents to valuable metals. Unlike most studies that grind batteries to obtain powders between 70 and 200 microns, our approach works with particles sized around 5 mm. Additionally, our preparation process avoids any thermal or chemical treatments. This straightforward pre-treatment process marks a significant advancement by reducing the complexity and cost of processing. A systematic study was conducted on various fractions of the large particle sizes, using Fe (III) produced through bio-oxidation by A. ferrooxidans and biogenically obtained H2SO4 from A. thiooxidans. The highest metal extraction rates were achieved using the unsorted fraction, directly obtained from the black mass after the grinding process, without additional particle separation. When treated with bio-oxidized Fe (III), this fraction achieved a 95% recovery of Cu, Ni, and Al within 20 min, and over 90% recovery of Co, Mn, and Li within approximately 30 min. These recovery rates are attributed to the combined reducing power of Al and Cu already present in the black mass and the Fe (II) generated during the oxidation reactions of metallic Cu and Al. These elements actively facilitate the reduction of transition metal oxides into their more soluble, lower-valence states, enhancing the overall metal solubilization process. The extraction was carried out at room temperature in an acidic medium with a pH no lower than 1.5. These results demonstrate significant potential for efficient metal recovery from spent batteries with minimal pre-treatment, minimizing environmental impact. Additionally, the simplified residue preparation process can be easily integrated into existing waste management facilities without the need for additional equipment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Extraction Processes for Critical Metals from Non-Metallurgical Resources

 

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