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Recent Contributions of Female Scientists to the Advancement of Environmental Mineralogy

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A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (24 April 2022) | Viewed by 16827

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Susan T. L. Harrison

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
Interests: biohydrometallurgy; bioleaching; biomining; biooxidation; bioreduction; sulphide oxidation; microbial ecology; biofilms; mineral-microbe contacting; mine drainage; mine-impacted waters; rehabilitation; circular economy; industrial ecology; resource recovery; resource efficiency; waste re-purposing; wastewater treatment; post-mine economies

Dr. Anna H. Kaksonen

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Guest Editor

School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Australia
Interests: biocorrosion; bioelectrochemistry; bioflotation; biogeochemistry; bioleaching; biomining; biooxidation; bioprecipitation; bioreduction; bioremediation; circular economy; resource recovery; waste management; wastewater treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Keiko Sasaki

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Earth Resources Engineering, Kyushu University, Motooka 744, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
Interests: biohydrometallurgy; biooxidation; bioremediation; cementitious materials; clay minerals; geopolymer; photocatalysts; radioactive wastes; resource recovery; spectroscopy; wastewater treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue celebrates the contributions of female scientists in advancing the field of environmental mineralogy. Submissions are invited from female corresponding authors on topics that cover the interactions of minerals with atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere in natural and engineered environments. This includes, e.g., processes contributing to mineral formation, alteration and solubilisation, biogeochemical cycling of elements and sedimentation, as well as contamination and related risk analysis. Additionally, manuscripts on engineering applications such as biomining, CO₂ sequestration, geoengineering, remediation and waste management are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Susan T. L. Harrison
Prof. Dr. Anna H. Kaksonen
Prof. Dr. Keiko Sasaki
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.

Keywords

acid sulfate soils
bioflotation
biogeochemical cycling
bioleaching
biomining
biooxidation
bioprecipitation
bioreduction
biosolubilisation
biosorption
CO₂ sequestration
desulfurisation
geoengineering
geopolymers
heavy metals/metalloids
isotopes
mine drainage
minerals in remediation
mineral stabilisation
mine waste
phyto-/phyco-mining
phyto-stabilisation
pollution indices
precipitation
radioactive nuclides
resource recovery
risk assessment
soil amelioration/rehabilitation
soil contamination
solubilisation
sorption
waste disposal
waste treatment
weathering

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 3076 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Adsorption Kinetics of Imidacloprid, Acetamiprid and Methomyl Pesticides in Aqueous Solution onto Eucalyptus Woodchip Derived Biochar

by Assadawoot Srikhaow, Wasitthi Chaengsawang, Tanongkiat Kiatsiriroat, Puangrat Kajitvichyanukul and Siwaporn M. Smith

Minerals 2022, 12(5), 528; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min12050528 - 24 Apr 2022

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2723

Abstract

This work reports the application of a biochar (BC) derived from eucalyptus wood chips to remove pesticides (imidacloprid, acetamiprid and methomyl) from water. The pseudo-second order kinetic adsorption model is the best fit describing the adsorption of pesticides on BC. Furthermore, the Langmuir model correlated well with the adsorption isotherm data for acetamiprid and methomyl, while the Freundlich model was selected to explain the adsorption of imidacloprid on BC. The maximum adsorption capacities for methomyl, imidacloprid and acetamiprid on the BC material are 32.42, 14.75 and 4.87 mg g⁻¹, respectively. The highest adsorption capacity of methomyl on the BC surface could be the result of multilayer adsorption suggested by the adsorption isotherm studies, with imidacloprid (or acetamiprid) monolayer being adsorbed on the BC surface. The structure, functional groups of pesticides, including their polarity, all played an important role contributing to the performance of biochar sorbent. Preferable interactions between the studied pesticides and the BC surface may include π-π interactions and hydrogen bonding. The steric aromatic entity in adsorbed imidacloprid and acetamiprid on the BC surface may hinder the possibility of other pesticide molecules approaching the available sorption sites on the surface. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Contributions of Female Scientists to the Advancement of Environmental Mineralogy)

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28 pages, 3130 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Data Integration of Critical Elements from Mine Waste in Mexico, Chile and Australia

by Denys Villa Gomez, Enrique Sáez Salgado, Olivia Mejías, Aurora Margarita Pat-Espadas, Laura Alejandra Pinedo Torres, Laura Jackson and Anita Parbhakar-Fox

Minerals 2022, 12(2), 122; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min12020122 - 21 Jan 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3431

Abstract

Due to an extensive history of mining activities common to Mexico, Chile and Australia there is a vast mine waste legacy. Whilst these wastes present ongoing challenges regarding their management, they may represent a source of elements supporting the transition towards a low carbon future. Hence, our study aims to demonstrate the value of establishing a chemical database from publicly available tailings data collated from the three countries to assess their potential as a secondary resource of elements classified as critical or with high economic relevance. Overall, 2976 data samples were identified, analysed and georeferenced from 159, 642 and 7 Mexican, Chilean and Australian deposits, respectively. Data analysis shows that Mexico has significant potential for Bi, Sb, W, In, Zn and Mo with outstanding values in Sonora State, while Chile has significant potential for Bi, Sb, W and Mo, mostly from northern to central regions and Zn to the south. Whilst data from Australia are still being compiled, the potential for Co was recognised. The research exposes that available information is insufficient and highlights the need for an international report or assessment code for mine waste that encourages resource recovery from these resources and circular economy practices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Contributions of Female Scientists to the Advancement of Environmental Mineralogy)

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16 pages, 2153 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Significance of Acid Washing after Biooxidation of Sulfides in Sequential Biotreatment of Double Refractory Gold Ore from the Syama Mine, Mali

by Cindy, Ryotaro Sakai, Diego M. Mendoza, Kojo T. Konadu and Keiko Sasaki

Minerals 2021, 11(12), 1316; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min11121316 - 25 Nov 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2279

Abstract

Environmentally friendly pretreatment of double refractory gold ores (DRGO) to improve gold recovery without emitting pollutant gas is challenging. Sequential biotreatment, including iron-oxidizing microorganisms to decompose sulfides, followed by the enzymatic decomposition of carbonaceous matter, was recently developed. The effect of acid washing by 1 M HCl for 24 h between two bioprocesses was evaluated using a real double refractory gold ore from the Syama mines, Mali, which includes 24 g/t of Au and 5.27 wt% of carbon with a relatively higher graphitic degree. The addition of the acid washing process significantly improved gold recovery by cyanidation to yield to 84.9 ± 0.7% from 64.4 ± 9.2% (n = 2). The positive effects of acid washing can be explained by chemical alteration of carbonaceous matter to facilitate the accessibility for lignin peroxidase (LiP) and manganese peroxidase (MnP) in cell-free spent medium (CFSM), although the agglomeration was enhanced by an acid attack to structural Fe(III) in clay minerals. Sequential treatment of DRGO basically consists of the oxidative dissolution of sulfides and the degradation of carbonaceous matter prior to the extraction of gold; however, the details should be modified depending on the elemental and mineralogical compositions and the graphitic degree of carbonaceous matter. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Contributions of Female Scientists to the Advancement of Environmental Mineralogy)

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11 pages, 3363 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biogenic Platinum Nanoparticles’ Production by Extremely Acidophilic Fe(III)-Reducing Bacteria

by Takahiro Matsumoto, Idol Phann and Naoko Okibe

Minerals 2021, 11(11), 1175; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min11111175 - 22 Oct 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1538

Abstract

Platinum nanoparticles (Pt(0)NPs) are expected to play a vital role in future technologies as high-performance catalysts. The microbiological route for Pt(0)NPs’ production is considered a greener and simpler alternative to conventional methods. In order to explore the potential utility of extreme acidophiles, Fe(III)-reducing acidophilic bacteria, Acidocella aromatica and Acidiphilium crytpum, were tested for the production of bio-Pt(0)NPs from an acidic solution. Bio-Pt(0)NPs were successfully formed via a simple one-step reaction with the difference in the size and location between the two strains. Intact enzymatic activity was essential to exhibit the site for Pt(0) crystal nucleation, which enables the formation of well-dispersed, fine bio-Pt(0)NPs. Active Ac. aromatica cells produced the finest bio-Pt(0)NPs of mean and median size of 16.1 and 8.5 nm, respectively. The catalytic activity of bio-Pt(0)NPs was assessed using the Cr(VI) reduction reaction, which was shown to be in a negative linear correlation with the mean particle size under the conditions tested. This is the first study reporting the recruitment of acidophilic extremophiles for the production of Pt(0)NPs. Acidophilic extremophiles often inhabit metal-rich acidic liquors in nature and are expected to become the promising tool for metal nanotechnology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Contributions of Female Scientists to the Advancement of Environmental Mineralogy)

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14 pages, 4693 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Amino Acids on the Mobility of Iodide in Hydrocalumite

by Mengmeng Wang, Hirofumi Akamatsu and Keiko Sasaki

Minerals 2021, 11(8), 836; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min11080836 - 01 Aug 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1864

Abstract

In the cement system, hydrocalumite is a candidate adsorbent for low-level ¹²⁹I anionic species. However, the stability of hydrocalumite after immobilizing I⁻ is unclear when they are exposed to pedosphere characterized by organic substances derived from living organisms. In the present work, five amino acids were selected as simplified models of natural organic substances under alkaline conditions. L-cysteine (H₂Cys) and L-aspartic acid (H₂Asp) accelerated the release of I⁻ from I-hydrocalumite through ion-exchange. Ion-exchange of Cys²⁻ with I⁻ in I-hydrocalumite was faster than Asp²⁻, and the interlayer spacing (d₀₀₃) of Cys-hydrocalumite was smaller than that of Asp-hydrocalumite. DFT simulations not only supported the above results but also predicted that there was a positive correlation between the formation energies and interlayer spacings of amino acids intercalated hydrocalumite, depending on the configurations. Moreover, in the DFT predictions, the interaction between amino acids and metallic hydroxide layers was responsible for the formation of hydrogen bonds and Ca-O chemical bonds between the -COO⁻ groups and [Ca₂Al(OH)₆]⁺. The other three amino acids did not show intercalation through ion-exchange. The stability of I-hydrocalumite is influenced differently by coexisting amino acids, depending on the ionic sizes, charge numbers, and hydrophilicity, which cause the second contamination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Contributions of Female Scientists to the Advancement of Environmental Mineralogy)

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Review

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17 pages, 3596 KiB

Open AccessReview

Contamination of the Soil–Groundwater–Crop System: Environmental Risk and Opportunities

by Maria Economou-Eliopoulos and Ifigeneia Megremi

Minerals 2021, 11(7), 775; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min11070775 - 16 Jul 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3490

Abstract

The increasing development of industries, resulting in a large volume of mining, smelting, and combustion wastes, and intense agricultural activities, due to demand for food and energy, have caused environmental hazards for food quality and ecosystems. This is a review on the contamination of the soil–groundwater–crop system and a potential reduction of the contamination by a gradual shift towards green economy within the European Union and on a worldwide scale. Available mineralogical and geochemical features from contaminated Neogene basins have shown a diversity in the contamination sources for soil and groundwater, and highlighted the need to define the contamination sources, hot spots, degree/extent of contamination, and provide ways to restrict the transfer of heavy metals/metalloids into the food chain, without the reduction of the agricultural and industrial production. Among harmful elements for human health and ecosystems, the contamination of groundwater (thousands of μg/L Cr(VI)) by industrial activities in many European countries is of particular attention. Although Cr(VI) can be reduced to Cr(III) and be completely attenuated in nature under appropriate pH and Eh conditions, the contamination by Cr(VI) of coastal groundwater affected by the intrusion of seawater often remains at the hundreds μg/L level. A positive trend between B and Cr(VI) may provide insights on the role of the borate [B(OH)₄]⁻ ions, a potential buffer, on the stability of Cr(VI) in coastal groundwater. Efforts are needed towards reducing toxic metal(loids) from the industrial wastewaters prior to their discharge into receptors, as well as the transformation of hazardous mining/industrial wastes to new products and applications to the optimization of agricultural management strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Contributions of Female Scientists to the Advancement of Environmental Mineralogy)

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