Special Issue on Green and Sustainable Mineral Processing

Introduction

The global transition toward carbon neutrality and the growing demand for critical mineral resources are placing unprecedented pressure on the mining industry. Conventional mineral processing routes—characterized by high energy and water consumption, significant tailings generation, and elevated environmental footprints—are increasingly incompatible with the principles of sustainable development. At the same time, the depletion of high-grade ores, the complexity of low-grade and refractory resources, and the tightening of environmental regulations demand a rethinking of mineral processing technologies.

Green chemistry, bio-hydrometallurgy, dry separation, mine water recycling, and the valorization of secondary resources are emerging as pathways toward low-carbon, clean, and resource-efficient mineral processing. Beyond end-of-pipe treatment, an opportunity lies in preventing environmental liabilities at the source: designing processes so that tailings are environmentally benign—for example, non-acid-generating through in-process desulfurization—and integrating the valorization of by-products and secondary streams within the flowsheet itself.

Against this backdrop, this Special Issue aims to provide a platform for researchers, engineers, and practitioners to disseminate recent advances in green and sustainable mineral processing, and to promote technologies that reconcile resource utilization with environmental stewardship.

Scope and expectations for submissions

Papers submitted to this Special Issue should not only address topics related to green or sustainable mineral processing, but also demonstrate clear and defensible green or sustainability benefits—for example, reduced energy consumption, water consumption, reagent dosage, or environmental impact; improved resource utilization efficiency; prevention of environmental liabilities at the source (e.g., production of non-acid-generating tailings); in-process recovery of by-products; or reduced carbon emissions and tailings generation.

For original research articles, the green or sustainability benefits should be reflected in the research objectives, experimental design, results, or process assessment, rather than being introduced only as background context. Where applicable, these benefits should be supported by quantitative comparison with conventional or benchmark processes.

Contributions that address environmental issues through process design and source reduction, rather than only downstream treatment, are particularly encouraged. This will help ensure that the Special Issue maintains a clear focus on genuinely green and sustainable contributions.

Topics covered

This Special Issue welcomes original research articles, review articles, and short communications. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following. Contributions in all areas should highlight green benefits, resource efficiency, or process intensification, rather than merely using “green” as background context.

Green flotation and novel reagent development

• Molecular design, synthesis, and application of green, renewable, bio-based, low-toxicity, and readily degradable flotation reagents, with emphasis on reduced reagent dosage, lower environmental risk, and improved biodegradability
• Mechanistic and interfacial chemistry studies of reagent action, explicitly linked to green reagent design or process intensification
• Reagent-free or minimally reagent-intensive separation technologies, emphasizing reagent reduction and improved resource efficiency
• Flotation processes and circuits designed to simultaneously maximize valuable mineral recovery and improve tailings quality (e.g., removal of sulfides or other hazardous components)

Low-carbon mineral processing

• Innovative comminution technologies capable of achieving target particle size distributions while reducing energy consumption, CAPEX, and OPEX
• Dry separation technologies (dry magnetic separation, air classification, optical sorting) and their energy- and water-saving benefits, with quantified reductions in water consumption, energy use, or carbon emissions where possible
• Low-carbon utilization and efficient beneficiation of low-grade mineral resources, highlighting synergies between improved resource utilization and carbon reduction
• Energy optimization and carbon footprint accounting in mineral processing operations, including life-cycle or carbon-footprint analysis

Bio-hydrometallurgy and environmental biotechnology

• Bioleaching of low-grade ores and tailings, emphasizing low energy consumption, low reagent demand, and environmental compatibility
• Enhanced metal concentration, separation, and purification using advanced biotechnologies and bio-based reagents, such as engineered proteins, peptides, enzymes, and microbial systems.
• Development and application of extremophiles in mineral processing, highlighting process intensification and green substitution potential
• Bio-oxidation pretreatment of refractory gold ores, demonstrating energy or environmental advantages over conventional processes
• Bioremediation of mineral processing wastes, tailings, and process-impacted water, emphasizing ecological benefits and sustainability

Mine water treatment and recycling

• Advanced treatment and near-zero discharge of mineral processing wastewater, highlighting reduced water consumption and improved reuse rates
• Prevention, treatment, and resource recovery from acid mine drainage (AMD), emphasizing source control and pollutant reduction.
• Effects of water recycling on flotation performance and process control, with clear water-saving benefits and process stability considerations
• Novel materials and processes for mine water treatment, emphasizing low energy consumption, low chemical demand, or renewability

Tailings design, prevention and secondary resource utilization

• Tailings desulfurization and process design for non-acid-generating tailings, including sulfide removal by flotation, integration of desulfurization stages into concentrator flowsheets, and recovery of pyrite or other sulfides as marketable by-products, with emphasis on preventing acid mine drainage at the source
• Resource recovery from tailings (e.g., construction materials, backfill, valuable component extraction, and functional material preparation), emphasizing reduction, resource recovery, and reduced environmental risk
• Prevention-oriented management, safe disposal and stabilization of tailings, highlighting environmental safety and sustainable management
• Green recovery of critical metals from spent batteries and electronic waste, emphasizing low-carbon extraction and resource circulation
• Utilization of smelter slags, waste rocks, and other solid mining residues, demonstrating improved resource efficiency and carbon reduction
• Green extraction and valorization of precious and rare metals from secondary resources, highlighting process intensification and green benefits

Digitalization and intelligent optimization for green mineral processing

• Online monitoring and intelligent sensing for optimizing energy consumption, water consumption, and reagent dosage
• Data-driven or machine learning-based optimization of mineral processing, aimed at reducing reagent and energy consumption and improving resource recovery
• Digital twin and intelligent control applications in green mineral processing
• Intelligent optimization-driven design and operation decisions for low-carbon process flowsheets, including design that incorporates tailings quality and by-product valorization as explicit design objectives
• Digital approaches supporting carbon footprint accounting and environmental performance assessment in mineral processing

Sustainable processes and life cycle assessment

• Cleaner production strategies for mineral processing, emphasizing source reduction, process intensification, and in-process valorization of by-products and secondary streams as an alternative to end-of-pipe solutions
• Life cycle assessment (LCA) of mining environmental footprints
• Circular economy approaches for closed-loop mineral resource utilization
• Rehabilitation and ecological restoration associated with mineral processing wastes and tailings, highlighting ecological benefits and sustainability

Important deadline

Submission deadline: 30 June 2027

Expected publication date: 30 September 2027

Guest Editors

Prof. Dr. Yongjun Peng, The University of Queensland, Australia. Email: yongjun.peng@uq.edu.au

Prof. Dr. Luis A. Cisternas, Universidad de Antofagasta, Chile. Email: luis.cisternas@uantof.cl

Prof. Dr. Wencai Zhang, Virginia Tech, USA. Email: wencaizhang@vt.edu

Prof. Dr. Qicheng Feng, Kunming University of Science and Technology, China. Email: fqckmust@163.com

Prof. Dr. Jin Yao, Northeastern University, China. Email: yaojin@mail.neu.edu.cn