Defects and their behaviors in mineral dissolution under water environment: A review

Mineral dissolution is a spontaneous process that takes indispensible role in the determination of water quality in a specific water body. Deep insights into defects as a result of characterization technique development have greatly improved our understanding of their significances and behaviors in the dissolution within the mineral-water interface. Based on the progresses from previous decades, this review attempts to re-elaborate the molecular-scale process of dissolution. Material flow within the mineral/water interface is updated, with emphasis on the function of defect sites. A brief introduction of defect properties is presented, including the microscopic appearances and typical physicochemical characteristics. Feasible strategies that have been adopted to increase the defect abundance are inferred, which maybe enlightening for hydrometallurgy. The merits and drawbacks of the techniques that could be employed for the qualitative and quantitative determination of defect presence are introduced, although relatively satisfactory performances are noted. With the aid of these techniques, it is concluded that screw dislocation is the main defect type responsible for surface topography evolution as a result of dissolution. Finally, this review identifies the current knowledge gaps and future research needs for comprehensively identifying the significance of defects in mineral dissolution.