Estimates for several geochemically scarce companion elements as to the percentage of input with Cu concentrate partitioning to slags of primary copper pyrometallurgy (Ayres, Ayres and Rade 2002; Makuei and Senanayake 2018; Miganei et al. 2017; Moats, Alagha and Awuah-Offei 2021; Wang et al. 2017b).

Estimates for several geochemically scarce companion elements as to the percentage of input with Cu concentrate partitioning to slags of primary copper pyrometallurgy (Ayres, Ayres and Rade 2002; Makuei and Senanayake 2018; Miganei et al. 2017; Moats, Alagha and Awuah-Offei 2021; Wang et al. 2017b).

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Copper ores, end-of-life electric and electronic equipment and car electronics can contain, besides Cu, substantial amounts of geochemically scarce companion elements. Geochemically scarce elements have an upper crustal abundance of <0.025 (weight)%. In view of resource conservation and reduction of pollution there is a case for near-zero waste pro...

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... and Sukhomlinov et al. (2019) have shown that, dependent on flux composition, in converting matte, the elements B, Cr, Ga, Ge, In, W and Zn may mainly, and Cd, Co, Ni, Re and Se may partially, partition to slags. Estimates for several geochemically scarce companion elements regarding the percentage of input with copper ore concentrate partitioning to slags are in Table 4. Table 5 presents reported concentrations of geochemically scarce companion elements in slags from smelters in a number of counties. ...

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... Попытка обоснования безотходного производства меди с упором на восстановление дефицитных сопутствующих элементов была выдвинута в исследовании Л. Рейндерса [30], однако проблематика обработки шлака и поведения CuS или остатков обработки CuS в окружающей среде не была освещена. ...
Article
The review, based on the publications by both Russian and international researchers, presents an analysis of the problems of existing technologies for smelting copper concentrates. Three main problems requiring solutions were identified and considered: increasing the efficiency of smelting copper sulfide-containing ores by reducing the copper content in slags obtained during the conversion process; increasing efficiency, including by obtaining an additional economic effect from waste disposal; reducing the harmful impact on the environment. It was stablished that trends towards the development of new efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective technologies are characteristic not only of the selected research object, but also of a number of other non-ferrous metals, such as lead and zinc.
... The application of magnesium slag in fertilizers is linked to a heavy environmental burden [80]. Applications in ceramics, construction and building materials tend to be dispersive and the indefinite sequestration of (eco)toxic contaminants present in these applications of slags cannot be guaranteed, which rather would suggest (bio)hydrometallurgical treatment before application [118,119]. ...
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In the scientific literature, the terms sustainable, green, ecofriendly and environment(ally) friendly are used regarding magnesium alloys applied in cars. When sustainability is defined as remaining within safe planetary boundaries for mankind or as conserving natural capital for transfer to future generations, current alloys based on primary magnesium applied in cars are not sustainable. Current alloys based on primary magnesium are not green, ecofriendly or environmentally friendly when these terms mean that there is no burden to the environment or a minimal burden to the environment. Available environmental data do not support claims that current alloys based on magnesium originating from the Pidgeon process, which replace primary mild conventional steel in automotive applications, can be characterized as green, ecofriendly or environmentally friendly. There are options for substantially reducing contributions to the life cycle environmental burden of magnesium alloys. Minimizing the life cycle environmental burden of magnesium alloys may enable them to be characterized as environmentally friendly, ecofriendly or green in the sense of a minimal burden to the environment.
... The book 'Sustainable Construction Materials-Copper Slag' reviews application options of copper slag in concrete and cement production, geotechnical applications and road pavements [12]. Reijnders [13] reviewed the feasibility of a zero-waste copper production with a focus on the recovery of scarce companion elements but not going into details of slag processing and environmental behavior of CUS or CUS processing residues. ...
Article
Large amounts of copper slag are produced every year and major fractions of it are currently disposed, not withstanding the multiple ways the material can be used. Application of the slag is often limited by the presence of hazardous elements and their leaching behavior so they can potentially pollute soil, surface water and underground water. To remove such elements slag treatment is necessary. However, to implement such treatment industrially it also needs to fulfill requirements for economics and environmental friendliness. Thus, implementing technologies of slag treatment is a complex and challenging task. Within this paper, application options, the environmental behavior, and ways to treat copper slag in order to remove hazardous and recover valuable metals are critically reviewed. As a result, potential slag treatment routes including their benefits and drawbacks are proposed. Considering the recent progress in developing for utilization options of copper slag as well as in the development of metal recovery and removal from slag there is potential for application of increasing slag amounts.Graphical Abstract
... These are also known as "elements of concern" [15], and the best known of these elements are arsenic, mercury, cadmium, thallium, thorium, and uranium. The presence of these PHEs in metal ores is the main reason why the ideal of zero-waste metallurgy is impossible to achieve and that near-zero-waste metallurgy is a more practical target [81]. ...
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In this academic position paper, we propose the 12 Principles of a novel and more sustainable approach to hydrometallurgy that we call “circular hydrometallurgy.” The paper intends to set a basis for identifying future areas of research in the field of hydrometallurgy, while providing a “sustainability” benchmark for assessing existing processes and technological developments. Circular hydrometallurgy refers to the designing of energy-efficient and resource-efficient flowsheets or unit processes that consume the minimum quantities of reagents and result in minimum waste. The application of a circular approach involves new ways of thinking about how hydrometallurgy is applied for both primary and secondary resources. In either case, the emphasis must be on the regeneration and reuse of every reagent in the process. This refers not only to the acids and bases employed for leaching or pH control, but also any reducing agents, oxidizing agents, and other auxiliary reagents. Likewise, the consumption of water and energy must be reduced to an absolute minimum. To consolidate the concept of circular hydrometallurgical flowsheets, we present the 12 Principles that will boost sustainability: (1) regenerate reagents, (2) close water loops, (3) prevent waste, (4) maximize mass, energy, space, and time efficiency, (5) integrate materials and energy flows, (6) safely dispose of potentially harmful elements, (7) decrease activation energy, (8) electrify processes wherever possible, (9) use benign chemicals, (10) reduce chemical diversity, (11) implement real-time analysis and digital process control, and (12) combine circular hydrometallurgy with zero-waste mining. Although we realize that the choice of these principles is somewhat arbitrary and that other principles could be imagined or some principles could be merged, we are nevertheless convinced that the present framework of these 12 Principles, as put forward in this position paper, provides a powerful tool to show the direction of future research and innovation in hydrometallurgy, both in industry and in academia. Graphical Abstract
... Extraction metallurgical processes including hydrometallurgy, bio-metallurgy, and pyrometallurgy are employed in the mining industry to recover copper and cobalt [1]. For over a century, pyrometallurgy was used to treat sulfide ores for the recovering of base metals such as copper, cobalt, zinc, and nickel [2][3][4][5]. ...
Article
The effects of operating conditions on copper, iron, and cobalt dissolution from sulfide ores in sulfuric acid–sodium chloride media are predicted using an artificial neural network (ANN) model. The artificial neural network model was developed, trained, and predicted using the feed-forward back-propagation (BP) algorithm. The sulfuric acid concentration, sodium chloride concentration, temperature, leaching time, and particle size were used as input variables to the model. A total of 204 sets of data generated from the leaching experiments were used to develop and train the model. To reach the network with a good agreement and highest generalizability and to reduce the error between the measured and predicted values, the neural networks with a various number of hidden layers (one to ten hidden layers) were investigated. In the regression analysis of the {5–10–3} architecture, the R2 values were 0.998, 0.997, and 0.997, while the MSE values were 0.111, 0,148, and 0.106 for the training, validation, and testing sets, respectively. The results showed that ANN has a high potential for predicting copper, cobalt, and iron recoveries. The increase in the number of hidden layers was found to improve the performance of the ANN model.Graphical Abstract
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Arsenic is a common impurity element in sulfide concentrates. It tends to accumulate in the flue dust of smelting furnace due to the volatility and internal circulation of the flue dust practiced in the smelting-converting process chain. The only outlets for arsenic are anodes and discard slag. Arsenic condensation in dust-free conditions was studied below 800 °C where the gas atmosphere was controlled by SO 2 -air-N 2 gas mixtures. Based on these experimental results, we confirm the kinetically constrained formation mechanism of the arsenic-containing dust, and its speciation into metallic, oxidic (III, V), and sulfidic species. The influences of temperature and atmosphere on the speciation of arsenic were compared with industrial data and discussed. Graphical Abstract Condensed arsenic‐bearing particles collected by electrophoretic forces on the surface of fused SiO 2 in SO 2 ‐O 2 atmospheres: the crystal morphology shows euhedrally facetted As 2 O 3 crystals and initially molten As‐OS alloy droplets together with poorly crystallized AsS x particles.
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There has been increasing attention recently to reprocessing of mining waste, which aims to recover potentially valuable materials such as metals and other byproducts from untapped resources. Mining waste valorization may offer environmental advantages over traditional make-waste-dispose approaches. However, a quantitative environmental assessment for large-scale reprocessing, accounting for future trends and a broad set of environmental indicators, is still lacking. This article assesses the life cycle impacts and resource recovery potential associated with alternative waste management through mine tailings reprocessing at a regional scale. Sulfidic copper tailings in the EU were selected as a case study. We perform prospective life cycle assessments of future reprocessing scenarios by considering emerging resource recovery technologies, market supply & demand forecasts, and energy system changes. We find that some reprocessing and valorization technologies in future scenarios may have reduction potentials for multiple impact indicators. However, results for indicators such as climate change and energy-related impacts suggest that specific scenarios perform sub-optimally due to energy/resource-intensive processes. The environmental performance of reprocessing of tailings is influenced by technology routes, secondary material market penetration, and choices of displaced products. The trade-off between climate change and energy related impacts, on the one hand, and toxicity impacts, on the other hand, requires critical appraisal by decision makers when promoting alternative tailings reprocessing. Implementing value recovery strategies for building material production, can save up to 3 Mt. CO2-eq in 2050 compared to business as usual, helping the copper sector mitigate climate impacts. Additional climate mitigation efforts in demand-side management are needed though to achieve the 1.5 °C climate target. This work provides a scientific basis for decision-making toward more sustainable reprocessing and valorization of sulfidic tailings.
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There has been increasing attention recently to reprocessing of mining waste, which aims to recover potentially valuable materials such as metals and other byproducts from untapped resources. Mining waste valorization may offer environmental advantages over traditional make-waste-dispose approaches. However, a quantitative environmental assessment for large-scale reprocessing, accounting for future trends and a broad set of environmental indicators, is still lacking. This article assesses the life cycle impacts and resource recovery potential associated with alternative waste management through mine tailings reprocessing at a regional scale. Sulfidic copper tailings in the EU were selected as a case study. We perform prospective life cycle assessments of future reprocessing scenarios by considering emerging resource recovery technologies, market supply & demand forecasts, and energy system changes. We find that some reprocessing and valorization technologies in future scenarios may have reduction potentials for multiple impact indicators. However, results for indicators such as climate change and energy-related impacts suggest that specific scenarios perform sub-optimally due to energy/resource-intensive processes. The environmental performance of reprocessing of tailings is influenced by technology routes, secondary material market penetration, and choices of displaced products. The trade-off between climate change and energy related impacts, on the one hand, and toxicity impacts, on the other hand, requires critical appraisal by decision makers when promoting alternative tailings reprocessing. Implementing value recovery strategies for building material production, can save up to 3 Mt CO2-eq in 2050 compared to business as usual, helping the copper sector mitigate climate impacts. Additional climate mitigation efforts in demand-side management are needed though to achieve the 1.5 ℃ climate target. This work provides a scientific basis for decision-making toward more sustainable reprocessing and valorization of sulfidic tailings.