2026-10-11T06:13:08Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34057080 2026-10-02T15:06:52Z category_4 category_13 category_272 category_873 category_39 category_734 category_106 portal_63 item_type_3 month_year_10_2026

Acid Leaching for Carbon Sequestration with Prospects for Critical Metal Recovery Connor C. Turvey (12910208) Arif Hussain (226527) Adam Majusiak (25302747) Dan Su (8007) Maximilian Mann (21730265) Zhen Wang (72451) Annah Moyo (22286856) Ben Kronholm (25302750) Jaswanth Yaddala (22286859) Kwon Rausis (20548493) Ian M. Power (1761817) Jonathan Spence (25302753) Amy McBride (18264813) Jessica Hamilton (6016559) Laura Lammers (8620932) Phil Renforth (1357680) Andrew Frierdich (25302756) Sasha Wilson (15307552) Biochemistry Genetics Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified Ecology Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified Science Policy supplying critical metals relatively low value limiting global warming less important due important factors determining green energy transition economic analysis demonstrates 6 – 64 5 ° c 08 – 0 carbon credits compared sulfuric acid followed 2 –</ sup 2 +</ sup carbon sequestration potential 3 </ sub 2 </ sub carbon sequestration acid strength acid leaching ultramafic materials treatment cost tailings mineralogy still contributing sequential precipitation nickel recovery hydroxide minerals experimental stage carbonation precipitated Reducing carbon emissions and supplying critical metals for the green energy transition are essential to limiting global warming to below 1.5 °C. Here, we propose heap leaching ultramafic material with sulfuric acid followed by sequential precipitation for nickel recovery and carbon sequestration. Ultramafic materials were subjected to benchtop-scale acid leaches using 0.08–0.8 M H₂SO₄. The leachates were combined with NaOH to precipitate Ni (oxy)hydroxide minerals and then with NaOH + Na₂CO₃ to precipitate Mg carbonate minerals. The carbon sequestration potential of each sample and the efficiency of each experimental stage were calculated to estimate carbon sequestration using these techniques. The acid leaching released 2–57% of the Mg²⁺ along with 6–64% of the Ni²⁺ into the leachate, depending on acid strength and tailings mineralogy, while carbonation precipitated up to 95% of the dissolved Mg²⁺ and 90% of the CO₃^2– + HCO₃^– in solution, depending on initial Mg²⁺ concentrations. Techno-economic analysis demonstrates that treatment cost and Ni production are the most important factors determining the profitability of the process, with CO₂ removal being less important due to the relatively low value of carbon credits compared to Ni, but still contributing to the sustainability of this process. 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z Dataset Dataset 10.1021/acs.est.6c02916.s002 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Acid_Leaching_for_Carbon_Sequestration_with_Prospects_for_Critical_Metal_Recovery/34057080 CC BY-NC 4.0