Sustainable Extraction and Reuse of Metallurgical Wastes: Towards Circular Practices

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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