Sustainable Extraction and Reuse of Metallurgical Wastes: Towards Circular Practices

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 27 June 2025 | Viewed by 802

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Procesos de Minerales, Centro de Economía Circular en Procesos Industriales (CECPI), Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta 1270300, Chile
Interests: green solvents; separation processes; electrolyte thermodynamics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Procesos de Minerales, Centro de Economía Circular en Procesos Industriales (CECPI), Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta 1270300, Chile
Interests: leaching; hydrometallurgy; metal dissolution; green solvents; circular economy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The mining and metallurgical industries are crucial to the global economy, but they also pose significant environmental challenges. The generation of large volumes of solid and liquid wastes, often containing valuable metals and hazardous substances, necessitates sustainable management practices. In recent years, the concept of a circular economy has emerged as a promising approach to address these challenges. By minimizing waste generation, maximizing resource recovery, and promoting recycling and reuse, circular economy principles can help reduce the environmental impact of the mining and metallurgical industries.

This Special Issue aims to explore innovative strategies for the sustainable extraction and reuse of metallurgical wastes. We invite contributions that address the following topics:

  • Waste characterization and assessment: Understanding the physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties of metallurgical wastes for developing effective recycling and reuse technologies.
  • Hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical processes: Investigating the application of hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical techniques for the recovery of valuable metals from metallurgical wastes.
  • Bioleaching and bioremediation: Exploring the use of microorganisms to extract metals from low-grade ores and waste materials, as well as to remediate contaminated sites.
  • Material recovery and recycling technologies: Developing efficient and cost-effective technologies for the recovery of metals, minerals, and other valuable materials from metallurgical wastes.
  • Environmental impact assessment and life cycle analysis: Assessing the environmental impacts of different waste management strategies and identifying opportunities for improvement.

By fostering interdisciplinary research and collaboration, this Special Issue seeks to contribute to the development of sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions for the management of metallurgical wastes.

Dr. Yecid Jimenez Bellott
Dr. Pía Hernández
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • metallurgical waste
  • circular economy
  • sustainable mining
  • waste management
  • metal recovery
  • recycling
  • bioleaching
  • hydrometallurgy
  • pyrometallurgy
  • environmental impact assessment
  • life cycle analysis

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 2360 KiB  
Article
Chemical and Bioreductive Leaching of Laterites and Serpentinite Waste with Possible Reuse of Solid Residues for CO2 Adsorption
by Agnieszka Pawlowska, Zygmunt Sadowski and Katarzyna Winiarska
Minerals 2025, 15(2), 181; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15020181 - 15 Feb 2025
Viewed by 604
Abstract
Experiments were conducted to evaluate domestic low-grade laterites and serpentinite waste as potential secondary sources of nickel and magnesium and to assess leaching residues for carbon dioxide adsorption. Solids were leached chemically using sulfuric acid, while bioreductive dissolution under anoxic conditions employed a [...] Read more.
Experiments were conducted to evaluate domestic low-grade laterites and serpentinite waste as potential secondary sources of nickel and magnesium and to assess leaching residues for carbon dioxide adsorption. Solids were leached chemically using sulfuric acid, while bioreductive dissolution under anoxic conditions employed a consortium of microorganisms dominated by Sulfobacillus. The efficiency of laterite bioreduction was 26.81% for Ni and 63.92% for Mg. In the case of serpentinite, 20.54% Ni and 92.88% Mg were extracted. The chemical dissolution yielded 26.73% Ni and 61.37% Mg in the case of laterites and 16.20% Ni and 77.49% Mg for serpentinite waste. Specific surface area was analyzed during the processes, showing a systematic increase over time. Based on the changes in this parameter, a mathematical description of the process was proposed using a shrinking particle model (SPM). Except for laterite bioreduction, leaching was shown to be a two-stage process controlled by a chemical reaction. The serpentinite solid processed in the presence of microorganisms exhibited the highest surface area (267 m2/g) and a CO2 adsorption capacity of 19.9 cm3/g. Full article
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