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2025 Vol.30, Issue 6 Preview Page
Recovery of Lead and Zinc from Lead-Zinc Mine Tailings Using a Fuel Cell-Based Leaching System

연료전지 기반 침출 시스템을 이용한 납·아연 광산 광미 내 납·아연 회수 연구

Won Jung Ju1
,
Kyoungphile Nam1*
주원정 1
,
남경필 1*
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
1서울대학교 건설환경공학부
*Corresponding Author
31 December 2025. pp. 55-62
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Abstract

Mine tailings, fine-grained residues from ore beneficiation, contain substantial unrecovered metals such as lead(Pb) and zinc(Zn). These metals are vital for industry, and Pb is listed among Korea’s ten strategic critical minerals. This study aimed to maximize the leaching of Pb and Zn and developed a fuel cell-based leaching system to simultaneously recover metals and generate electricity using Pb-Zn mine tailings as the anode active material. The single-chamber fuel cell, composed mainly of quartz, pyrite, dolomite, and chlorite-serpentine, served as both an electron source and a leaching substrate. The physical separation of anodic oxidation and cathodic oxygen reduction enabled sustained oxidation of tailings in the anode, suppressing surface passivation and promoting electron transfer. The system achieved a maximum power density of 5.4 mW/m2 at 43.8 mA/m2 and 0.11 V. Under a 300 Ω external load, the closed-circuit voltage remained at about 8.5 mV for ten days. During operation, 37.3 mg-Pb/kg and 84.2 mg-Zn/kg were leached, corresponding to efficiencies of 1.4% and 0.6%, equivalent to annual leaching rates of approximately 50%/yr and 20%/yr, respectively. These results indicate that galvanic interactions between pyrite and base-metal sulfides, combined with the lower rest potential of PbS, enhanced Pb dissolution. When scaled up to a 1 m2 module (20 × 20 unit cells), the system produced 6.0 mW (2 V), and application to a 20,900 m2 tailings dam was estimated to yield 125 W total output. The proposed self-sustaining system enables continuous electricity generation and metal recovery through sulfide oxidation, providing a sustainable approach to mitigate environmental risks and promote resource circularity in mine waste management.

Keywords
Fuel cell
Metal recovery
Electricity generation
Sulfidic mine tailings
Galvanic leaching
References

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Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국지하수토양환경학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
  • Journal Title(Ko) :지하수토양환경
  • Volume : 30
  • No :6
  • Pages :55-62
  • Received Date : 2025-10-02
  • Revised Date : 2025-10-17
  • Accepted Date : 2025-10-22
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7857/JSGE.2025.30.6.055
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