Transformation of iron-bearing minerals and iron resource cycling

Abstract

Current rapid depletion of high-grade iron ore reserves in the worldwide has largely driven the demands of efficient iron resource cycling, including extraction, utilization, and recycling of iron-based resources. These processes predominantly involve chemical transformations of iron-bearing minerals, which control cycling pathways and determine end products. However, previous fragmented case studies generally focused on special minerals or typical chemical reactions, while the lack of a comprehensive perspective on chemical transformations hampers the efficient cycling of iron resources. In this review, the primary chemical transformation networks for 36 iron-bearing minerals, consisting of raw/secondary minerals from Fe-O, Fe-S, Fe-Si and other systems present on the Earth, are systematically constructed for understanding the iron resource cycling. Moreover, according to the chemical conditions and practical applicability of the transformation maps, geological cycle, industrial application and waste recycling within the iron resource cycling are reviewed for guiding the further acquisition and reutilization of iron resources. Finally, we underscore the necessity for future endeavors to concentrate on investigating iron compounds in complex substance, predicting transformative principles and pathways via data science, and applying the theoretical networks on regulation of iron resource cycling.