Norman Toro

• Doctor of Engineering
• Arturo Prat University

Copper slag is industrial waste, having fayalite and magnetite as main phases, copper is present in the form of chalcopyrite and chalcosine. However, the complex structure of the slag makes the dissolution process difficult, which is why methods have been used to recover metals with leaching in sulfuric acid media as a traditional technique. howeve...

The increasing global demand for copper has driven the search for more efficient and sustainable extraction methods, particularly due to the environmental concerns associated with conventional processes. This study investigated the leaching of copper minerals MC (Cu2O) and malachite (Cu2CO3(OH)2) using glycine as an organic ligand in an alkaline me...

The mining process has always generated residues that often still contain valuable metals. This work focuses on the re-processing of these residues by evaluating and comparing two reagents that can extract valuable silver from tailings. A preliminary kinetic study of silver leaching was conducted in both cyanide and thiosulfate media, and a compara...

A R T I C L E I N F O Keywords: Tobermorite Autoclaved aerated concrete Diatomite Compressive strength CaO/SiO 2 ratio A B S T R A C T The fundamental structure of an autoclaved aerated concrete, is closely linked with the formation of tobermorite, which is called the heart of concrete and directly affects its mechanical properties. However the pre...

Copper slag, produced in pyrometallurgical processes, has the potential to generate hydrogen through thermolysis, depending on its composition. This manuscript explores the use of copper slag as a highly abundant and low-cost material for thermochemical water splitting using concentrated solar power. Copper slag can undergo endothermic reactions wi...

This study evaluates the effect of Cu2+, Zn2+, Pb2+, and Fe2+ on the selective leaching of Ag2S with thiosulfate. Pourbaix diagrams were used to identify the stability and predominance regions of the species formed as a function of ORP and pH, providing a theoretical framework to predict the influence of each ion. Experimental tests were conducted...

Lithium is a metal with a highly promising outlook for future global demand. Its industrial processing relies on two primary methods: production from brines through solar evaporation ponds and production from rock sources via flotation, roasting, and subsequent leaching. Chile is currently the world’s second-largest producer of lithium, surpassed o...

Featured Application This preliminary research demonstrates the potential of a toxic and hazardous mining residue to adsorb As(V) and Cr(III) from contaminated waters. The next step could be the incorporation of this waste (industrial jarosite) into a porous concrete (ACC) and perhaps successfully increasing its adsorption capacity. This innovative...

Black copper oxides, a significant copper resource, present challenges in leaching due to their refractory nature and complex mineralogical composition. This study investigates the sulfation dynamics of the reductive leaching process of black copper ores with the purpose of increasing the copper leaching, focusing on the influences of time and the...

Due to the scarcity of high-grade minerals on the Earth’s surface and the ever-increasing demand for critical metals required in the production of clean energy, the search for alternative sources has become essential. Ferromanganese crusts, a mineral resource located in the depths of the ocean, contain high concentrations of valuable metals, partic...

Mine tailings are a byproduct of mineral extraction and often pose an environmental challenge due to the contamination of soil and water bodies with dissolved metals. However, this type of waste offers the opportunity for the recovery of valuable metals such as silver (Ag). In the present investigation, an integral analysis of a sample of tailings...

Lateritic ore is currently the main raw material that allows extraction of Ni by the Caron process. To date, the kinetic behaviour of the roasting/selective reduction process of lateritic nickeli-ferous ores on a pilot scale is largely unknown. In the present study, the kinetic behaviour, the controlling stage and the mechanisms that describe this...

The Reynolds number (Re), introduced in the late 19th century, has become a fundamental parameter in a lot of scientific fields—the main one being fluid mechanics—as it allows for the determination of flow characteristics by distinguishing between laminar and turbulent regimes, or some intermediate stage. Reynolds’ 1895 paper, which decomposed velo...

Mining operations for the extraction and processing of useful geological materials are common anthropogenic activities that generate enormous quantities of waste that can alter the natural balance. In this way, soil, water and air are contaminated with waste that contains heavy metals, acids and many other compounds that are toxic to the environmen...

The Mine-to-Mill (M2M) approach aims to enhance efficiency and reduce costs in the mineral processing industry by optimizing the mining and processing stages. M2M integrates orebody characterization, blasting, and downstream processes, such as grinding and flotation, demonstrating that material fragmentation directly impacts downstream efficiency....

The letter represents the authors’ opinion on the positive impact that allowing open access to scientific publications has on doctoral programmes, the careers of young researchers and the overall quality of university education in Chile.

Mining is an indisputable pillar of the world economy, and it faces constant challenges that demand technological innovations and continuous adaptation [...]

Hydrogen has emerged as a promising energy carrier, offering a viable solution to meet our current global energy demands. Solar energy is recognised as a primary source of renewable power, capable of producing hydrogen using solar cells. The pursuit of efficient, durable, and cost-effective photocatalysts is essential for the advancement of solar-d...

The average lithium content in the Earth’s crust is estimated at about 0.007%. Despite this, lithium is considered abundant and widely distributed, with significant extraction from various sources. Notably, the brines in the Salar de Atacama are highlighted for their high lithium concentration ~1800 mg/L. Lithium is currently recovered from these b...

Ferromanganese crusts are mineral resources distributed in the planet’s oceans. These deep-sea minerals stand out for their abundance and diversity of metals, with Mn and Co being the most abundant elements. These minerals are a good alternative to diversify the extraction of elements, which today are found at low grades on the Earth’s surface. For...

Green hydrogen is poised to play a crucial role in the energy-transition process in developed countries over the coming years, particularly in those countries aiming to achieve net-zero emissions. Consequently, the for green hydrogen is expected to rise significantly. This article explores the fundamental methods of producing hydrogen, focusing on...

Corrosion is an inevitable and persistent issue that affects various metallic infrastructures, leading to significant economic losses and safety concerns, particularly in areas near or in contact with saline solutions such as seawater. Green corrosion inhibitors are compounds derived from natural sources that are biodegradable in various environmen...

High-molecular-weight anionic polyacrylamide was used to analyze the effect of kaolin on the structure of particle aggregates formed in freshwater and seawater. Batch flocculation experiments were performed to determine the size of the flocculated aggregates over time by using focused beam reflectance measurements. Sedimentation tests were performe...

Unique worldwide, nitrate/iodine deposits (NIDs) are located along a 700 km geological belt in the Atacama Desert, Chile. They serve as the primary source of mineral ores for the extraction of iodine, sodium, and potassium nitrates. NIDs have been relatively underexplored from a biological perspective. To address this, we collected sixteen soil sam...

Excess energy derived from photosynthesis can be used in plant microbial fuel cell (PMFC) systems as a sustainable alternative for the generation of electricity. In this study, the in situ performance of CAM (Crassulacean acid metabolism) plants in Calama, in the Atacama Desert, was evaluated for energy recovery using PMFCs with stainless steel AIS...

En 1996 SQM se convirtió en la primera compañía chilena en producir litio a partir de las salmueras del Salar de Atacama, cuando el mercado de dicho metal aún era pequeño y concentrado. Este libro desclasifica por primera vez episodios desconocidos, dificultades, proezas y las grandes innovaciones de la producción del litio de una empresa chilena q...

Currently, with the rapid growth of the population, the demand for metals has increased, especially for the manufacture of electronic devices such as cell phones, computer equipment, among others. Once these devices stop working, most are sent to landfills, which represents a danger since these wastes contain metals and other materials that must be...

Lateritic ores constitute the main source of raw material for extraction of Ni and Co by the Caron process. Consumption of oil in the reduction furnace is one of the key indicators if the metallurgical process is economical. To date it has not been possible to replace the additive fuel oil that is used at commercial scales, therefore, the aim of th...

Cellular automata models have emerged as a valuable tool in corrosion management. This manuscript provides an overview of the application of cellular automata models in corrosion research, highlighting their benefits and contributions to understanding the complex nature of corrosion processes. Cellular automata models offer a computational approach...

Excess energy from photosynthesis can be collected through biophotovoltaic platforms to generate green electrical power. This research evaluated the in-situ performance of different CAM (Crassulaceae acid metabolism) plants from Calama city located in the Atacama Desert for energy recovery as biophotovoltaic cell (BPV) using AISI 316L and Cu as ele...

Synopsis In the 19th century, mining in northern Chile was of great economic importance. Today, the ruins of the copper smelters and abundant fragments of refractory bricks from their furnaces remain. The refractory materials have not been previously studied. the origin, physical and chemical properties, and compressive strength of 10 different sam...

Cobalt, like other critical elements, is gaining in importance today. The great technological advances and the deep knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of this element have allowed to enhance its applications in various fields, such as: catalysts, paints, alloys for the mechanical and aerospace industries, as well as the medical secto...

Polymetallic nodules, also called manganese nodules (due to their high content of this element), contain various valuable metals such as Cu, Ni and Co. These seabed minerals are a good alternative source of Co and Mn due to the decrease in the grade of mineral deposits on the earth’s surface. For the treatment of manganese nodules, acid-reducing le...

The leaching of minerals is one of the main unit operations in the metal dissolution process, and in turn it is a process that generates fewer environmental liabilities compared to pyrometallurgical processes. As an alternative to conventional leaching methods, the use of microorganisms in mineral treatment processes has become widespread in recent...

Iron ore is a fundamental pillar in construction globally, however, its process is highly polluting and deposits are becoming less concentrated, making reusing or reprocessing its sources a sustainable solution to the current industry. A rheological analysis was performed to understand the effect of sodium metasilicate on the flow curves of concent...

Considering the continuous increase in production costs and resource optimization, more than a strategic objective has become imperative in the copper mining industry. In the search to improve the efficiency in the use of resources, the present work develops models of a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill using statistical analysis and machine lear...

Analytical models are of vital importance to study the dynamics of complex systems, including the heap leaching process. In this work, a methodology to study the dynamics of copper recovery in the heap leaching by means of fit of analytical models that capture the leaching dynamics product of variations of leaching agents as a function of the feedi...

Given the need to develop new technologies to supply energy to the mining industry in Chile, and its industries that provide services to mining, the development of a wave project to generate energy through the movement of waves on the northern coasts is presented from the country. For this, an analysis of the different technologies that exist for w...

In the present work an intense bibliographic search is developed, with updated information on the microscopic fundamentals that govern the behavior of flotation operations of chalcopyrite, the main copper mineral in nature. In particular, the effect caused by the presence of pyrite, a non-valuable mineral, but challenging for the operation due to i...

The Alhué mining district, Chile, is an example of a high-grade Au-Ag-Zn(-Pb) deposit with mineralized veins that contain variable amounts of copper sulfides, which are detrimental to the cyanidation process. Similar deposits can be found in the central zone of Chile, with polymetallic veins (Au, Ag, Cu, Pb, and Zn) that are related to subvolcanic...

In the world, the hazards of intense rainfall are recurrent and increasing. In addition, they are one of the natural hazards that cause the most severe damage to infrastructure and even cause deaths every year. Flow-type landslides are capable of develop in areas with different geomorphological, geological and climatic characteristics. In hyper-ari...

As result of the adverse effects caused by climate change, the nations have decided to accelerate the transition of the energy matrix through the use of non-conventional sources free of polluting emissions. One of these alternatives is green hydrogen. In this context, Chile stands out for the exceptional climate that makes it a country with a lot o...

Recent works suggest that the use of ionic liquids in the copper solvent extraction industry is feasible. However, the reports did not use real solutions (or synthetic solutions with various elements). This fact remains poorly established, and the interaction efficiencies are still under study. The objective of this research is to explore the extra...

The dissolution of LiCoO2 (LCO) from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has been widely studied with organic and inorganic acids. Among these acids, HCl is the one that showed the best results when used at concentrations higher than 4 M. However, its higher cost compared with other acids is disadvantageous. Taking this into account, this work aims...

Artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms have an increasingly pervasive presence in all fields of science due to their ability to find patterns, model dynamic systems, and make predictions of complex processes. This review aims at providing the researchers in the mineral processing area with structured knowledge about the application...

The resistance of kaolin aggregates to shearing in water clarification and recovery operations is a critical input in designing thickener feed wells. A recently formulated but already available criterion is used to determine the shear strength of flocculated kaolin aggregates. The flocculant is a high molecular weight anionic polyelectrolyte. The r...

The present work is related to the treatment of crushed waste of printed circuit boards (WPCBs) from electrical and electronic devices (WEEE), carrying out the recovery of copper in solution. In the first stage, the studied material was characterized by AAS, SEM-EDS, and XRD. The results revealed significantly high amounts of copper (744.42 mg/g),...

Due to the significant growth of the world population, the accelerated growth of economic industries in various countries, and improved living conditions, freshwater consumption has increased dramatically and is currently under critical pressure. Its good use and rationing are essential. Even though mining is an industry that consumes much less wat...

Global warming is the biggest problem that humanity is facing. Most climate scientists agree on how human intervention has affected the atmospheric change in the past two centuries, leading to a rise in global temperature by 1 °C. This is mainly due to the high production of CO2 by the energy sector, which is why it is necessary to promote accelera...

Mineral leaching is the key unit operation in metallurgical processes and corresponds to the dissolution of metals. The study of leaching is carried out in many areas, such as geology, agriculture and metallurgy. This paper provides an introduction to the theoretical background regarding the mathematical modelling of the leaching process of copper...

Complex gangues and low-quality waters are a concern for the mining industries, particularly in water shortage areas, where the closure of hydric circuits and reduction in water use are essential to maintain the economic and environmental sustainability of mineral processing. This study analyzes the phenomena involved in the water recovery stage, s...

Current challenges in froth flotation are the presence of complex gangues and the use of low-quality waters, such as seawater. In this scenario, the recovery of molybdenum minerals is difficult, mainly due to the hydrophobic faces’ physicochemical changes. In the present study, the natural floatability of pure molybdenite was analyzed by using micr...

The temperature of the flame of copper concentrates was determined through spectral measurements by using an optical and infrared spectrometer, where the experimental data were adequately processed by the two-colour pyrometer method. Experiments were carried out in a drop-tube, and the furnace temperature was 773 K ensuring the ignition of concentr...

In areas where access to water for mineral processing is limited, the direct use of seawater in processing has been considered as an alternative to the expense of its desalination. However, efficient flotation of copper sulfides from non-valuable phases is best achieved at a pH > 10.5, and raising the pH of seawater leads to magnesium precipitates...

In this work, a recycling route for spent Li-ion batteries (LIBs) was developed. For this, the recovery of the metal content in both electrodes (anode and cathode) was investigated. Based on these results, an economic analysis of this recycling process was carried out. The obtained results showed that more than 90% of the material contained in both...

Trends toward the widespread use of electric vehicles and renewable energy sources all point to continued growth in copper demand. This demand will be met mainly by new primary copper production, with recycling expected to contribute significantly to copper supply. Significant quantities of copper ore are presently mined from porphyry deposits in w...

Environmental pollution today is a latent risk for humanity, here the need to recycle waste of all kinds. This work is related to the kinetic study of the leaching of gold and copper contained in waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and silver contained in mining wastes (MW), using the O2-thiosemicarbazide system. The results obtained s...

Since 1958, the Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) has continuously monitored carbon dioxide variations using non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensors, with the Keeling curve as an early indicator of the anthropogenic contribution to global atmospheric carbon dioxide. The increasing CO2 levels are alarming and have led to international agreements that promo...

Definition 1. Effect on Chloride Concentration Several authors point out that chalcocite leaching in a chloride medium is the best way to dissolve this copper sulfide [8,13,24,38,41,63]. Even if chloride ions are added to a chalcocite leaching with H SO or HNO , the kinetics increases considerably. As explained by Cheng and Lawson [24], this occurs...

Chalcocite is the most abundant secondary copper sulfide globally, with the highest copper content, and is easily treated by conventional hydrometallurgical processes, making it a very profitable mineral for extraction. Among the various leaching processes to treat chalcocite, chloride media show better results and have a greater industrial boom. C...

Polymers have interesting physicochemical characteristics such as charge density, functionalities, and molecular weight. Such attributes are of great importance for use in industrial purposes. Understanding how these characteristics are affected is still complex, but with the help of molecular dynamics (MD) and quantum calculations (QM), it is poss...

Chelating agents (e.g., EDTA, titriplex III, etc.) are very important salts as they can take a complex form with metal ions. This study investigated usage of titriplex III in presence of hydrogen peroxide for metal extraction from chalcopyrite concentrate under various conditions such as conventional leaching, mechanical activation and ultrasound l...

The leaching of copper ores produces a rich solution with metal interferences. In this context, Fe(III), Zn(II), and Mn(II) are three metals contained in industrial copper-rich solutions in high quantities and eventually can be co-extracted with the copper. The purpose of the current study was to determine the feasibly of solvent extraction with th...

Metallic magnesium can be obtained from seawater, brines, minerals, in recycled scrap, and in alloys. It is the eighth most abundant element on the planet, using 2% of the earth’s crust, and it is the third most abundant element in the sea with approximate contents of 1.3% of magnesium, on the other hand, brines have around 0.3–1% magnesium. Also,...

Heap leaching is a firm extractive metallurgical technology facilitating the economical processing of different kinds of low-grade ores that are otherwise not exploited. Nevertheless, regardless of much development since it was first used, the process advantages are restricted by low recoveries and long extraction times. It is becoming progressivel...

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...]

Chile is the world’s leading copper producer (28.3%) and maintains approximately 23.0% of current global reserves. Chile is faced with a significant risk posed by its collection of the most unsustainable and antiquated smelter operations among major copper producers worldwide. Moreover, forecasts also indicate a trend toward higher proportions of c...

This research aims to analyze the impact of sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) as a rheological modifier of concentrated kaolin slurries in seawater at pH 8, which is characteristic of copper sulfide processing operations. The dispersion phenomenon was analyzed through chord length measurements using the focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) tech...

The low grade of copper deposits and the use of the froth flotation process have caused excessive tailing production. In recent years, experts have looked for new alternative methods to improve this situation. Black copper minerals are abundant resources not exploited by large-scale copper mining and possess high Mn concentrations. On the other han...

This review aims to understand the environmental impact that tailings produce on the land and marine ecosystem. Issues related to flora, fauna, and the environment are revised. In the first instance, the origin of the treatment and disposal of marine mining waste in Chile and other countries is studied. The importance of tailings’ valuable elements...

Determining the uniaxial compressive strength of intact rock is the primary objective of a geomechanical project, and a reliable estimate in the early phases saves time and costs for more sophisticated laboratory tests. The problem is knowing which of the correlations between the resistance to uniaxial compression and point load index are reliable,...

Discrete event simulation (DES) is a computational tool capable of simulating the interplay of important variables and processes within complex mining systems that are subject to geological uncertainty. Alternate modes of operation are fundamental to the development of effective DES frameworks to model and monitor system performance in response to...

The accelerated growth in global demand for Manganese coincides with the continuing depletion of high-grade ores on the earth's surface. This element is essential for diverse markets such as steel production, dietary additives, fertilizers, cells, fine chemicals, and some chemical reagents. Interestingly, there are large mineral reserves in the oce...

Magnesium and magnesium-derived alloys are critical to a diverse set of industries, due to their particular physicochemical properties, including biocompatibility, low density, mechanical dampening, and hydrogen-storage capacity. Moreover, the magnesium compounds are themselves vital in agricultural, pharmaceutical, construction and broad industria...

Slags, sludges, and dust from steelmaking industries have been probed as adsorbents for Pb(II) removal from synthetic water solutions, and these residues have showed good potential in the treatment of industrial effluents contaminated with this heavy metal. Adsorption and precipitation of Pb(II) have been postulated as the main mechanisms to remove...