Energy and Metals Recovery with Associated Corrosion Issues

Dear Colleagues,

Since the second industrial revolution, fossil fuels such as coal and oil have been the main source of electricity, releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases. At present, renewable energies are established as the path toward a new energy and industrial model that is more sustainable and respectful of the environment. The high demand for energy worldwide has transitioned the world to the manufacture and use of electrochemical devices. This represents progress toward environmentally friendly processes that efficiently help the recovery of metals and/or energy and energy storage. Metal recovery is a topic of global interest, due to the high demand for materials dedicated to the manufacture of batteries, such as Co, Pb, Li, Ni, Na, Fe, Ti, Mn, Mo, and Cr, among others, using conventional and non-conventional extraction metallurgy processes. On the other hand, the available concentrated electrolytes, such as seawater, brines from osmosis processes, and natural brines from underground and weather-exposed ponds in arid regions that are partly used for the recovery of Li, is a matter of controversy. For this case potential process, improvements can be achieved combining either the recovery of energy, green H2 production, and the recovery of precious metals. Currently, electrochemical processes are being considered in the processing of minerals and industry in general, due to its advantages of power supply by renewable sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, marine, biomass energy, and non-conventional renewable energy recovery technologies. However, it is necessary to develop technological innovations to increase/optimize the recovery of metals and energy of interest through non-conventional processes; reuse industrial waste to lower production costs; and reduce water consumption to minimize environmental impacts and understand their corrosion, potential problems, and behavior that reduce the service life of electrochemical devices. This Topic, “Energy and Metals Recovery with Associated Corrosion Issues”, is for the recovery of energy and metal processes from available aqueous solutions, either fresh or sea water, and brines, either natural or effluents from power or desalination plants, in a framework of unconventional sources of energy (solar, wind, etc.). This includes all relevant aspects of electrochemical processes from electrode materials, basic corrosion mechanisms affecting all exposed materials of the processing equipment in saline media (fresh, seawater, or saline waters), and kinetic studies under quiescent and hydrodynamic conditions. Issues of new electrode materials for energy and metal recovery, process efficiencies, corrosion prevention issues, and pilot experiments are also welcome.

Dr. Norman Toro
Dr. Luis Cáceres
Prof. Dr. Edward L. Fuentealba
Topic Editors