Advances in Precious and Critical Mineral Beneficiation and Extraction

Abstract

With the increasing demand for valuable metals, advanced techniques are required for processing complex ore bodies and secondary metal sources or wastes (e.g., printed circuit boards). These complex ore bodies and secondary metal sources host precious and critical minerals that will aid the development of high-technology equipment and the transition to a clean energy economy. This Special Issue, “Advances in Precious and Critical Mineral Beneficiation and Extraction”, focuses on novel and advanced beneficiation and extractive metallurgical methods for precious (e.g., gold, silver, platinum group metals) and critical (e.g., nickel, cobalt, rare earth elements) metal recovery and/or extraction from primary and secondary sources. The themes can be organized into three sections: 1. Advances in physical separation and beneficiation of complex ores and wastes containing precious and critical minerals. 2. Developments in hydrometallurgical and aqueous extraction of complex ores and wastes containing precious and critical minerals. 3. Advances in pyrometallurgical processes for precious and critical metal extraction.