Visualization and analysis of mapping knowledge domain of oxidation studies of sulfide ores

The oxidation of sulfide ores is a common phenomenon. To better understand the current development and status of oxidation studies of sulfide ores (OSSO), a bibliometric analysis of OSSO was conducted by mapping the spatiotemporal distribution of the knowledge domain and the research focus using VOSviewer and Citespace tools. The data were derived from the Web of Science (WOS) core collection database from 2000 to 2018. Study emphases covered publication outputs, countries/regions, organizations, top journals, research focus and keyword co-occurrence network, and theme development. The results include the following findings: (1) The line of the 3-year moving average of publications (3-year MAP), h-index (3-year MAH), and authors (3-year MAA) increased from 2001 to 2018. Conversely, the h-index continuously declined. (2) Asia had the most publications, with 1052, followed by Europe, with 923, and America, with 767. China, the USA, and Australia are the most active countries. (3) The top 10 organizations with the most publications are five Chinese organizations and one organization from each of the following countries: Russia, Australia, France, and India. (4) Hydrometallurgy, Minerals Engineering, Ore Geology Reviews, Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta, and Economic Geology are among the top 10 journals that researchers are most concerned about. (5) Cooperation among different organization or different countries is the most effective way to produce the most influential papers. (6) The OSSO is still focused on the process of oxidation by using different methods and techniques. In future work, it is necessary to progress new methods to understand the process of self-heating and prevent spontaneous combustion disaster of sulfide ore which result from OSSO.