Minerals (ISSN: 2075-163X) has launched the “Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry” Section. This Section covers various interactions of minerals with their environments and ecosystems. These include the contact of minerals with the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere in natural and engineered systems, leading to mineral formation, alteration, and solubilization. Examples of relevant application areas are natural processes such as weathering, the biogeochemical cycling of elements and sedimentation, as well as contamination and related risk analysis. Moreover, engineering applications, such as CO₂ sequestration, bioleaching, geoengineering, remediation, and waste management, are also considered.

We are pleased to present the 2021 Editor’s Choice Articles, a carefully curated list of high-quality articles from the “Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry” Section:

• “Geoecological Zonation of Revegetation Enhances Biodiversity at Historic Mine Sites, Southern New Zealand”
  by Dave Craw et al.
  Minerals 2021, 11(2), 181; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11020181
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/2/181

• “UAS-Based Hyperspectral Environmental Monitoring of Acid Mine Drainage Affected Waters”
  by Hernan Flores et al.
  Minerals 2021, 11(2), 182; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11020182
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/2/182

• “Active Treatment of Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Cold Mine Water Using Advanced Oxidation and Membrane-Related Processes: A Review”
  by Sébastien Ryskie et al.
  Minerals 2021, 11(3), 259; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11030259
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/3/259

• “Prediction of Postflotation Tailings Behavior in a Large Storage Facility”
  by Magdalena Wróżyńska
  Minerals 2021, 11(4), 362; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11040362
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/4/362

• “Complexity of Respirable Dust Found in Mining Operations as Characterized by X-ray Diffraction and FTIR Analysis”
  by Rachel L. T. Walker et al.
  Minerals 2021, 11(4), 383; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11040383
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/4/383

• “A Petrographic Investigation of the Carboniferous Sequence from the Ibbenbüren Mine: Tracing the Origin of the Coal Mine Drainage”
  by Diego Bedoya-Gonzalez et al.
  Minerals 2021, 11(5), 483; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11050483
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/5/483

• “Growth Interruptions in Arctic Rhodoliths Correspond to Water Depth and Rhodolith Morphology”
  by Moritz Schlüter et al.
  Minerals 2021, 11(5), 538; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11050538
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/5/538

• “Thermal-Hydrological-Chemical Modeling of a Covered Waste Rock Pile in a Permafrost Region”
  by Xueying Yi et al.
  Minerals 2021, 11(6), 565; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11060565
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/6/565

• “Paleoenvironment of the Lower–Middle Cambrian Evaporite Series in the Tarim Basin and Its Impact on the Organic Matter Enrichment of Shallow Water Source Rocks”
  by Mingyang Wei et al.
  Minerals 2021, 11(7), 659; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11070659
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/7/659

• “Acid Mine Drainage Sources and Impact on Groundwater at the Osarizawa Mine, Japan”
  by Naoto Nishimoto et al.
  Minerals 2021, 11(9), 998; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11090998
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/9/998

• “Phosphate Rocks: A Review of Sedimentary and Igneous Occurrences in Morocco”
  by Radouan El Bamiki et al.
  Minerals 2021, 11(10), 1137; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11101137
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/10/1137

• “Improvement in pH and Total Iron Concentration of Acid Mine Drainage after Backfilling: A Case Study of an Underground Abandoned Mine in Japan”
  by Kohei Yamaguchi et al.
  Minerals 2021, 11(11), 1297; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11111297
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/11/1297

• “Interaction between Microbes, Minerals, and Fluids in Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Systems”
  by Shamik Dasgupta et al.
  Minerals 2021, 11(12), 1324; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11121324
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/12/1324

• “The Role of Microorganisms in the Formation, Dissolution, and Transformation of Secondary Minerals in Mine Rock and Drainage: A Review”
  by Jose Eric Ortiz-Castillo et al.
  Minerals 2021, 11(12), 1349; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11121349
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/12/1349

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the research groups that submitted to Minerals (ISSN: 2075-163X). We would appreciate it if you would circulate this document among your colleagues and network. Furthermore, the following opportunities for collaboration may be of interest:

Submitting a manuscript:
This Section is currently open for submissions. Papers may be submitted via the following link: https://susy.mdpi.com/user/manuscripts/upload?journal=minerals.

Launching a Special Issue:
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Joining the Editorial Board:
If you are an active researcher in the field of environmental mineralogy and biogeochemistry, and are interested in joining the Editorial Board, please do not hesitate to get in touch ([email protected]).