Separation Techniques in Recovery of Valuable Metal Resources

A special issue of Separations (ISSN 2297-8739). This special issue belongs to the section "Separation Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 September 2026 | Viewed by 915

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
Interests: green recycling of solid waste; physical metallurgical extraction; rare and precious metals; titanium/silicon material preparation

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
Interests: solid waste resource recovery; nonferrous metal metallurgy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Separation technologies for the recovery of valuable metal resources represent one of the most dynamic and compelling research directions in contemporary resource engineering, metallurgical engineering, and green manufacturing. A key driver behind this widespread research interest lies in the potential to achieve high-value recovery and sustainable utilization of valuable metals from complex secondary resources and low-grade ores through the development of efficient, green, and innovative separation processes and technological pathways.

To achieve selective and efficient separation of valuable metals while suppressing the co-separation of impurity elements, systematic investigation of the composition, morphology, and existence state of separation products is essential. This constitutes a critical step in evaluating separation technology performance, elucidating separation mechanisms, and advancing engineering applications.

In light of this, we cordially invite you to submit research papers, communications, and review articles to this Special Issue, “Separation Techniques in Recovery of Valuable Metal Resources.” We particularly welcome the latest research findings focusing on innovative methods, mechanism elucidation, process modeling, and characterization analysis of separation technologies in valuable metal recovery.

We look forward to your outstanding contributions.

Dr. Yakun Zhang
Prof. Dr. Zhengjie Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • valuable metal recovery
  • separation techniques
  • secondary resources and wastes
  • selective separation
  • green and sustainable processes
  • process modeling and optimization
  • mechanism and characterization
  • resource recycling and circular economy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 7613 KB  
Article
Cu-Ni Captures Platinum Group Metals from Spent Automotive Exhaust Catalysts
by Jiahao Li, Jibiao Han, Han Yang, Guozhen Wang, Kuo Liu, Lang Liu, Yong Li, Qingfeng Xiong, Junmei Guo, Bin Yang and Haigang Dong
Separations 2026, 13(3), 89; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations13030089 - 6 Mar 2026
Viewed by 648
Abstract
Platinum group metals (PGMs) are strategic metals, and recycling PGMs in spent automobile exhaust catalysts (SACs) is a key path to alleviate the contradiction between resource supply and demand. This paper proposes a new Cu-Ni capture process and conducts research on the recovery [...] Read more.
Platinum group metals (PGMs) are strategic metals, and recycling PGMs in spent automobile exhaust catalysts (SACs) is a key path to alleviate the contradiction between resource supply and demand. This paper proposes a new Cu-Ni capture process and conducts research on the recovery of PGMs from SACs. Through the binary phase diagram analysis of Cu, Ni and PGMs and the thermodynamic calculation of the system reduction reaction, the feasibility of this technology was theoretically confirmed. Experimental results show that under the conditions of a temperature of 1450 °C, a holding time of 90 min, a Cu-Ni ratio of 1:1, and a basicity of 0.58, the recovery rates of Pt, Pd, and Rh reached 99.2%, 99.34%, and 98.48% respectively. Combined with orthogonal experiments, it was verified that temperature is the most influential factor on the recovery rate, and the four-stage capture mechanism of “initial diffusion—droplet aggregation—sedimentation and wetting—slag–metal separation” was clarified. This process reduces the melting temperature and provides new technology for green and efficient recycling of PGMs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Separation Techniques in Recovery of Valuable Metal Resources)
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