hydrometallurgy
noun
hy·dro·met·al·lur·gy
ˌhī-drō-ˈme-tə-ˌlər-jē 
: the treatment of ores by wet processes (such as leaching)
Examples of hydrometallurgy in a Sentence
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These companies route end-of-life battery packs (and, in the case of GM, battery manufacturing scraps) to Redwood, where the nickel, cobalt, copper, lithium, and other minerals are recycled in a hydrometallurgy facility.
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Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 19 Sep. 2024
Another method, hydrometallurgy, leaches the metals out of the black mass by dissolving it in acids and other solvents.
—Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024
In traditional hydrometallurgy, a battery’s metals are reduced to a black powder and dissolved in an inorganic acid.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Dec. 2023
To extract those needles, recyclers rely on two techniques, known as pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy.
—Ian Morse, Science | AAAS, 20 May 2021
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Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 19 Sep. 2024
Another method, hydrometallurgy, leaches the metals out of the black mass by dissolving it in acids and other solvents.
—Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024
In traditional hydrometallurgy, a battery’s metals are reduced to a black powder and dissolved in an inorganic acid.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Dec. 2023
To extract those needles, recyclers rely on two techniques, known as pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy.
—Ian Morse, Science | AAAS, 20 May 2021
Cite this Entry
“Hydrometallurgy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hydrometallurgy. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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