hydrometallurgy

[hahy-druh-met-l-ur-jee]

noun

1. the technique or process of extracting metals at ordinary temperatures by leaching ore with liquid solvents.

hydrometallurgy

/ -mɛˈtælədʒɪ, ˌhaɪdrəʊˈmɛtəˌlɜːdʒɪ /

noun

1. a technique for the recovery of a metal from an aqueous medium in which the metal or the gangue is preferentially dissolved

Other Word Forms

• hydrometallurgical adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hydrometallurgy¹

First recorded in 1885–90; hydro- ¹ + metallurgy

Example Sentences

In traditional hydrometallurgy, all the metals in an EV battery cell are dissolved in an inorganic acid.

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The aqueous-based recycling method is called hydrometallurgy.

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Nlebedim and colleagues have developed an alternative, acid-free approach to hydrometallurgy for recovering rare-earth elements in the permanent magnets that are commonly found in hard drives and motors5.

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Using a method called hydrometallurgy, the team are using water-based acid solutions to salvage e-waste’s precious metals for art.

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A brief lesson in hydrometallurgy: Goro’s earth is rich in nickel and cobalt, key ingredients in the lithium-ion batteries most commonly used for electric vehicles.

Read more on New York Times