Advances at the Sulphide Mineral/Solution Interface: Improved Metal Extraction and Energy Storage

金属是现代文明的重要材料，它们被广泛用作导体、建筑材料和交通工具。铜、锌和镍等金属通常以硫化物的形式矿化。从这些金属的硫化物中生产这些金属的主要经济方法基本上依赖于青铜时代技术的放大版本：冶炼或焙烧。由于金属消费量自1850年以来以每年约3%的复合速度增长，而且全球矿石品位正在下降，金属市场正处于十字路口：未来我们将如何经济和负责任地开采这些金属？为了回答这个问题，硫化铜(黄铜矿)水处理领域的研究已经在全球范围内进行了50多年，但没有可行的解决方案，因为黄铜矿在大多数实际浸出环境中都能抵抗氧化分解。值得庆幸的是，利用现代电化学和表面分析技术对黄铜矿/溶液界面进行了详细的研究，取得了突破。一种可克服这一问题的可溶性有机催化剂已被确定。这项提案讨论了一项计划，以确认催化机理，并确定将具有同样或更好性能的新催化剂。此外，我们还将探索将该催化剂系统用于其他硫化物矿物，如镍镍和闪锌矿(锌)。 针对黄铜矿浸出的电化学研究带来了另一项可能改变金属行业的发现。迄今为止，采掘业一直使用硫化物矿物来生产铜、镍和锌。然而，这些矿物具有可用于金属生产以外的其他用途的固有性质。事实上，例如，黄铜矿(CuFeS2)是一种众所周知的天然半导体，已被研究用作锂电池的正极材料和光伏电池的有源层。目前硫化物矿物在金属生产中的应用与其作为能源材料的潜在应用之间存在着两极分化。但如果我们能把这两种用途结合起来呢？如果我们可以使用这些天然的、容易获得的材料来储存和生产能量，以及作为金属的来源，那会是什么情况？我们将使用这一提议的核心内容--电化学和表面分析方法，解释硫化物矿物流动电池如何给金属工业带来革命性的变化。

Metals vital materials for modern civilization are required for their ubiquitous use as conductors, as building materials and in transportation. Metals such as copper, zinc and nickel are generally mineralized in the form of sulphides. The main economic production methods for these metals from their sulphides essentially relies on a scaled-up version of Bronze age technology: smelting or roasting. Because metals consumption has increased at a compound rate of approximately 3% per annum since 1850, and because ore grades are declining worldwide, metal markets are at a crossroads: in future how will we economically and responsibly extract these metals? To answer this question, research in the area of aqueous processing of the copper sulphide, chalcopyrite, has been ongoing worldwide for over 50 years with no viable solution because chalcopyrite resists oxidative breakdown in most practical leaching environments. Thankfully, detailed studies of the chalcopyrite/solution interface, using modern electrochemical and surface analysis techniques, have led to a breakthrough. A soluble organic catalyst that overcomes this problem has been identified. This proposal discusses a program to confirm the mechanism of catalysis and to identify new catalysts that will perform as well or better. Further, we will explore the use of the catalyst system for other sulphide minerals such as pentlandite (nickel) and sphalerite (zinc). The electrochemical studies aimed at chalcopyrite leaching have led to another discovery that could change the metals industry. To date, extractive industries have used sulphide minerals for producing copper, nickel and zinc. However, these minerals possess intrinsic properties that could be used for purposes other than metal production. Indeed, for example, chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) is a well known natural semiconductor that has been studied for use as cathode material in lithium batteries and as an active layer in photovoltaics. There exists a dichotomy between the current use of sulphide minerals for metal production and its potential application as an energy material. But what if we could combine these two uses? What if we could employ these natural, readily available materials for the purposes of energy storage and production as well as for a source of metals? Using the electrochemical and surface analysis methods that are central to this proposal, we will explain how sulphide mineral flow batteries could revolutionize the metals industry.