(Special session) Hydrometallurgy for environmetal resources circular［Thu. Sep 14, 2023 PM Room-5］

[3501-04-01] Microencapsulation-based Surface Modification for Suppressing Acid Mine Drainage Formation and Improving Flotation Separation of Sulfide Minerals

○Ilhwan Park¹, Mayumi Ito¹, Naoki Hiroyoshi¹ (1. Hokkaido University)

Chairperson: Naoko Okibe (Kyushu University)

Keywords:Microencapsulation, Sulfide minerals, Acid mine drainage, Flotation

Microencapsulation, a process in which tiny particles or droplets are surrounded by a coating to give small capsules with the aim of protecting core materials, has been widely applied in the design of new materials not only for the food industry but also for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and textiles. In 1995, microencapsulation was first applied to the passivation of pyrite (FeS₂) for suppressing its oxidation forming acid mine drainage (AMD), and many researchers have paid attention to improve the efficiency of the process. The main cause of AMD generation is the oxidation of pyrite when exposed to oxygen and water, so microencapsulation techniques forming protective coatings on the surface of pyrite could effectively suppress the AMD formation. Recently, the application of microencapsulation techniques is extended to the fields of mineral processing and hydrometallurgy as a pretreatment step. This paper will introduce the state-of-the-art research on microencapsulation techniques conducted by our research group.