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© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Copper slag, produced in pyrometallurgical processes, has the potential to generate hydrogen through thermolysis, depending on its composition. This manuscript explores the use of copper slag as a highly abundant and low-cost material for thermochemical water splitting using concentrated solar power. Copper slag can undergo endothermic reactions with water vapor at high temperatures, conditions which are favorable for activating hydrogen evolution reactions which can be a potential resource for metal recovery such as magnetite and hematite in the circular economy. While research on copper slag and its components has primarily focused on the recovery of valuable metals and material reuse, its direct application in hydrogen production remains largely unexplored, partly due to historically low interest in hydrogen as an energy source. The vast deposits of copper slag in the Atacama Desert, combined with the growing demand for renewable energy, present a unique opportunity to develop sustainable and cost-effective hydrogen production technologies.

Details

Title
The Use of Copper Slag in the Thermolysis Process for Solar Hydrogen Production—A Novel Alternative for the Circular Economy
Author
Fuentes, Manuel 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Leiva-Guajardo Susana 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Sagade Atul 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Sepúlveda, Felipe 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Soliz Alvaro 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Toro, Norman 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Cobos Murcia José Ángel 6   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Reyes Cruz V. E. 6   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Toledo, Mario 7 ; Fuentealba, Edward 2 ; Galleguillos Madrid Felipe M. 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Centro de Desarrollo Energético Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta 1240000, Chile; [email protected] (S.L.-G.); [email protected] (F.S.); [email protected] (E.F.), Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica 1100000, Chile; [email protected] 
 Centro de Desarrollo Energético Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta 1240000, Chile; [email protected] (S.L.-G.); [email protected] (F.S.); [email protected] (E.F.) 
 Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica 1100000, Chile; [email protected] 
 Departamento de Ingeniería en Metalurgia, Universidad de Atacama, Copiapó 1531772, Chile; [email protected] 
 Facultad de Ingeniería y Arquitectura, Universidad Arturo Prat, Iquique 1110939, Chile; [email protected] 
 Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Carr. Pachuca—Tulancingo km. 4.5, Mineral de la Reforma 42184, Mexico; [email protected] (J.Á.C.M.); [email protected] (V.E.R.C.) 
 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Av. España 1680, Valparaíso 2390123, Chile; [email protected] 
First page
4988
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
20763417
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3203189171
Copyright
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.