A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 2 1 8 their findings will contribute to the continued development of tough ceramics for a wide range of applications from electric insulator parts to kitchen utensils. www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en. SUSTAINABLE MINERAL EXTRACTION A team of international researchers, including collaborators from the University of Exeter, U.K., developed a new method to extract metals, such as copper, from their parent ore body. The researchers provided a proof of concept for the application of an electric field to control the movement of an acid within a low permeability copper-bearing ore deposit to selectively dissolve and recover the metal in situ. Their new method contrasts the conventional approach for the mining of such deposits where the material must be physically excavated, which requires removal of Copper ore sample before the start of the experiment. Source- facing side (left) and target-facing side (right). Courtesy of University of Exeter. both overburden and any impurities within the ore, known as gangue material. The researchers believe the new technique has the potential to transform the mining industry, because it has the capability to dissolve metals from a wide range of ore deposits that were previously considered inaccessible. Also, due to the noninvasive nature of the extraction, the work will help usher in a more sustainable future for the industry. Making mineral extraction more sustainable is especially imperative now in order to provide the breadth of metals required to deliver green technology, such as re- newable energy infra- structure and electri- fied vehicles, while limiting any potential environmental damage associated with the mining process. The team demonstrated that a targeted electric field can be used to dissolve and then recover copper in situ from the ore— avoiding any requirement to physically excavate the material. www.exeter. ac.uk.
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