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Minerals
Special Issues
Industrial Minerals and Geomaterials for Sustainable Environmental Applications
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Industrial Minerals and Geomaterials for Sustainable Environmental Applications

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 3243

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Stefano Columbu

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Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, Monserrato, 09042 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: georesources; mineralogical and petrographic applications for environment and cultural heritage; alteration and provenance of stones and mortars; petrophysical-mechanical characterization of geomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Davide Comboni

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Guest Editor
Department of Earth Sciences Ardito Desio, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Festa del Perdono, 7-20122 Milano, Italy
Interests: geochemistry; mineralogy; petrology; volcanology; earth resources and application
Dr. Concetta Rispoli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Earth, Environmental and Resource Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Complesso Universitario Monte Sant'Angelo, Ed. L, Via Cintia 26, 80126 Napoli, Italy
Interests: cultural heritage; archaeometry; coservation sciences, applied mineralogy; mortars, ceramics; building materials, glasses; zeolites, x-ray diffraction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Dario Fancello

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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Geological Science, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Cagliari, Sardegna, Italy
Interests: archaeological heritage
Prof. Dr. Marco Lezzerini

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Guest Editor
Department of Earth Sciences, Università of Pisa, Via Santa Maria 53, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Interests: applied petrography; urban geology; environmental mineralogy; geomaterials; clays and clay minerals; cultural heritage
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Industrial minerals are any rocks or minerals with economic value used in industrial processes or technical applications that are not used as sources for metals, gemstones, or energy. Many different types of industrial minerals and geomaterials serve multiple uses. Some examples of applications for industrial minerals are construction, ceramics, paints, electronics, filtration, plastics, glass, detergents, and paper. Industrial minerals are fundamental to the economy; some are considered critical minerals essential to the economies and security of nations. The most widely used industrial minerals include limestone, clays, crushed rock, sand, gravel, diatomite, kaolin, feldspar, bentonite, silica, barite, gypsum, potash, perlite, pumice, flake graphite, talc, etc. They are used in industries based on their physical and/or chemical properties in their natural state or after beneficiation, either as raw materials or as additives in a wide range of applications. They are essential for the construction of buildings as well as highways and contribute to real gross domestic product (GDP), including mining, processing, and manufacturing. Industrial minerals are also essential to the technologies employed in the defense, agriculture, and renewable energy industries. They are valuable components in medication products. They serve as asbestos substitutes for insulation and as absorbents for oil as well as chemical clean-ups. They (i.e., lime and zeolite) even treat and purify drinking water, while also helping landscaped and reclamation areas absorb and hold water, reducing the amount of water used. Industrial sand is used in the filtration of drinking water, the processing of wastewater, and the production of water from wells. They are also essential to developing renewable energy technologies. While industrial minerals are defined as nonmetallic, there are a few that have metallurgical properties, such as bauxite, which is the primary source of aluminum ore and is also used to make cement and abrasives. In some cases, even organic materials (peat) and industrial products or byproducts (cement, slag, and silica fume) are categorized under industrial minerals, as are metallic compounds mainly utilized in nonmetallic form (as an example, most titanium is utilized as an oxide, TiO2, rather than as metal Ti).

The evaluation of raw materials, in order to determine their suitability for use as industrial minerals, requires technical test work, mineral processing trials, end product evaluation, and, in particular, scientific studies on the compositional as well as chemical–physical characteristics of geomaterials. Therefore, for these reasons, research that can contribute to and deepen the knowledge of industrial minerals/geomaterials and their applications with a full view to environmental sustainability are welcome to this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Stefano Columbu
Dr. Davide Comboni
Dr. Concetta Rispoli
Dr. Dario Fancello
Prof. Dr. Marco Lezzerini
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

  • industrial minerals
  • geomaterials
  • environmental sustainability
  • limestone
  • clays
  • ceramics
  • glasses
  • feldspar
  • bentonite
  • perlite
  • pumice
  • zeolites
  • bauxite
  • slag
  • silica fume

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 7680 KiB  
Article
Insights in the Physicochemical and Mechanical Properties and Characterization Methodology of Perlites
by Panagiotis M. Angelopoulos
Minerals 2024, 14(1), 113; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14010113 - 22 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1100
Abstract
Perlite is a volcanic glass that, under thermal treatment, expands, producing a highly porous and lightweight granular material which finds application in the construction, horticulture, insulation and other industrial sectors. Proper control of the feed properties and the expansion conditions allows the production [...] Read more.
Perlite is a volcanic glass that, under thermal treatment, expands, producing a highly porous and lightweight granular material which finds application in the construction, horticulture, insulation and other industrial sectors. Proper control of the feed properties and the expansion conditions allows the production of purpose-oriented grades, while the primary evaluation of its appropriateness for use in each sector is performed by the proper characterization of relevant physical, thermal or/and mechanical properties. However, due to its extreme fineness, low density, and friability, most of the available characterization methods either fail in testing or provide erroneous results, while for certain properties of interest, a method is still missing. As a consequence, the way towards the evaluation of the material is rife with uncertainties, while a well-defined methodology for the characterization of the critical properties is of practical importance towards the establishment of a pathway for its proper analysis and assessment. This article presents the available methodology for determining the main properties of interest, i.e., the size and density, water repellency/absorption and oil absorption, the microstructural composition, crushing and abrasion resistance and isostatic crushing strength, and also sampling and size reduction processes. The issues raised by the application of existing methods are analyzed and discussed, ending up to a proper methodology for the characterization of each property, based on the long-term experience of the Perlite Institute. The study is supplemented by updated insights on ore genesis, physicochemical properties, mineralogical composition and the expansion mechanism, as background information for the sufficient comprehension of the nature and properties of perlite. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industrial Minerals and Geomaterials for Sustainable Environmental Applications)
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12 pages, 2154 KiB  
Article
Kinetic and Isotherm Studies for Cu2+ and Cs+ Uptake with Mono- and Bimetallic FeO(OH)-MnOx-Clinoptilolite
by Eva Chmielewská, Marek Bujdoš, Marek Hupian and Michal Galamboš
Minerals 2023, 13(12), 1536; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13121536 - 11 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 785
Abstract
This study investigates the adsorption of selected water pollutants, namely caesium and copper, by using natural zeolite of the clinoptilolite type, as well as clinoptilolites coated with MnOx, FeO(OH)-MnOx and FeO(OH). A comprehensive evaluation of these processes was conducted. The kinetics of Cs [...] Read more.
This study investigates the adsorption of selected water pollutants, namely caesium and copper, by using natural zeolite of the clinoptilolite type, as well as clinoptilolites coated with MnOx, FeO(OH)-MnOx and FeO(OH). A comprehensive evaluation of these processes was conducted. The kinetics of Cs and Cu adsorption on all examined samples smoothly followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, with the liquid film step regarded as the slower step in both cases. The Langmuir isotherm model provided the most accurate description of Cs and Cu adsorption for all examined samples. However, when considering natural clinoptilolite and FeO(OH)-clinoptilolite systems in relation to Cu(II), the Redlich–Peterson model slightly outperformed the Langmuir model. The modification of clinoptilolite with Mn and Fe oxyhydroxides did not significantly enhance the removal efficiency of Cs compared to the unmodified sample. In contrast, the adsorption capacity, especially for MnOx-clinoptilolite, increased fourfold for Cu and other tested cations such as Pb and Zn, indicating improved efficiency in these cases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industrial Minerals and Geomaterials for Sustainable Environmental Applications)
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18 pages, 3069 KiB  
Article
Ceramic Materials Based on Clay and Soapstone Waste: Thermo-Mechanical Properties and Application
by Vera Ilyina, Ekaterina Klimovskaya and Tatiana Bubnova
Minerals 2023, 13(11), 1376; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13111376 - 28 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 861
Abstract
In order to assess the feasibility of utilizing soapstone waste, which is generated during the production of stone blocks for fireplaces and other energy-saving devices, the effect of its addition to clay on the technological and thermal properties of ceramic materials was investigated. [...] Read more.
In order to assess the feasibility of utilizing soapstone waste, which is generated during the production of stone blocks for fireplaces and other energy-saving devices, the effect of its addition to clay on the technological and thermal properties of ceramic materials was investigated. Two local clays and soapstone processing waste were characterized using XRD, SEM-EDS, XRF, DTA-TG, and granulometric analysis. The linear firing shrinkage, water absorption, density, flexural strength, thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, and thermal shock resistance of the fired ceramic samples were analyzed. The results have shown that addition of soapstone waste to clay in an amount of 40 wt.% increases flexural strength, enhances thermal stability, and, additionally, reduces the thermal conductivity of the experimental samples. The technological properties of the final product meet the standard requirements for ceramic tiles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industrial Minerals and Geomaterials for Sustainable Environmental Applications)
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