Ilhwan Park

Mining activities often generate large amounts of sulfide-rich wastes containing arsenopyrite (FeAsS), which when dissolved releases toxic arsenic (As) and generates acid mine drainage (AMD) that are both disastrous to the environment. To suppress arsenopyrite dissolution, a technique that selectively coats sulfide minerals with a protective layer of Al-oxyhydroxide called Al-based carrier-microencapsulation (CME) was developed. Although a previous study of the authors showed that Al-based CME c

Porphyry copper deposits (PCDs) are some of the most important sources of copper (Cu) and molybdenum (Mo). Typically, the separation and recovery of chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) and molybdenite (MoS2), the major Cu and Mo minerals, respectively, in PCDs are achieved by two-step flotation involving (1) bulk flotation to separate Cu–Mo concentrates and tailings (e.g., pyrite, silicate, and aluminosilicate minerals) and (2) Cu–Mo flotation to separate chalcopyrite and molybdenite. In Cu–Mo flotation, chal

The leaching behavior of copper from Cu2O in H2SO4 solution was investigated to establish the leaching process for cathode powders produced by the recycling of waste printed circuit boards. When air was not introduced in sulfuric acid solution, the dissolution of copper from Cu2O was inhibited by the formation of elemental copper (Cu0). The dissociated cuprous ions (Cu+) transformed into elemental copper (Cu0) or cupric ions (Cu2+) owing to the instability of Cu+ in H2SO4. Cu+ can be reduced to

Porphyry Cu-Mo deposits, which are the most important sources of copper and molybdenum, are typically processed by flotation. In order to separate Cu and Mo minerals (mostly chalcopyrite and molybdenite), the strategy of depressing chalcopyrite while floating molybdenite has been widely adopted by using chalcopyrite depressants, such as NaHS, Na2S, and Nokes reagent. However, these depressants are potentially toxic due to their possibility to emit H2S gas. Thus, this study aims at developing a n

Porphyry-type deposits are the major sources of copper and molybdenum, and flotation has been adopted to recover them separately. The conventional reagents used for depressing copper minerals, such as NaHS, Na2S, and Nokes reagent, have the potential to emit toxic H2S gas when pulp pH was not properly controlled. Thus, in this study the applicability of microencapsulation (ME) using ferrous and phosphate ions as an alternative process to depress the floatability of chalcopyrite was investigated.

EDITORIAL article Front. Chem., 24 January 2023Sec. Green and Sustainable Chemistry Volume 11 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2023.1146404

Arsenopyrite is the most common arsenic-bearing sulfide mineral in nature. It is readily oxidized and releases toxic arsenic (As) into the environment when exposed to atmospheric conditions via anthropogenic activities like mining, mineral processing, extractive metallurgy, and underground space developments. Carrier-microencapsulation (CME) is a technique that uses metal(loid)-organic complexes to selectively form protective coatings on the surfaces of sulfide minerals. In this study, CME using