Recent Advances in Separation Techniques for Critical Minerals/Metals, Circular Economy, and Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

The global demand for critical minerals/metals, which are essential for high-tech applications and renewable energy technologies, is on the rise. This increasing demand, coupled with the urgent need for sustainable resource management, presents significant challenges for industries and governments worldwide. The current limitations in separation techniques for critical minerals/metals create substantial barriers to achieving a sustainable circular economy. Existing methods still face limitations in the efficiency and selectivity necessary to extract these valuable resources from complex ores and diverse waste streams, leading to significant environmental impacts and resource wastage. To overcome these challenges, advanced separation techniques must be considered.

Advanced separation techniques are pivotal for enabling the circular economy by facilitating efficient material reuse and recycling, reducing dependence on primary raw materials, and minimizing environmental harm. These practices are instrumental in advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 12: “Responsible Consumption and Production”. By promoting sustainable practices and closing the resource loop, these techniques significantly contribute to building a more resilient and eco-friendly economy. To address these challenges and promote environmental sustainability, we invite submissions to our Special Issue that highlight recent developments in separation techniques and their contribution to sustainable solutions.

This Special Issue emphasizes research and development in physical separation techniques and extractive metallurgy methods for mineral processing and resource recycling, as well as environmental remediation, with a specific focus on critical minerals/metals. However, research on other critical resources is also welcome. This collection covers a wide range of topics, including gravity separation, magnetic separation, electrical separation, and flotation. It also explores methods such as leaching, solvent extraction, cementation, adsorption, and precipitation, highlighting their importance in both primary and secondary resource utilization. The goal is to promote a circular economy and carbon neutrality while addressing environmental and sustainability concerns in the extraction and processing of critical minerals/metals.

Dr. Theerayut Phengsaart
Dr. Ilhwan Park
Prof. Dr. Carlito Tabelin
Prof. Dr. Mayumi Ito
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• mineral processing/beneficiation
• physical separation
• selective comminution
• size/shape separation
• gravity separation
• magnetic separation
• electrical separation
• flotation
• extractive metallurgy
• leaching
• purification
• solvent extraction
• precipitation
• cementation
• adsorption
• critical minerals/metals
• primary/secondary resources
• recycling
• circular economy
• environment
• sustainability