The EU is looking for alternatives to conventional mining and deep-sea mining has been identified as having significant potential.
The energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources revolves around electric infrastructure. Whether it is IT hardware, medical devices, solar panels, wind turbines or the latest electric cars, they all require large amounts of precious metals. However, the supply derived from conventional mining might not be sufficient to meet demand in the near future.
Blue Mining Programme
IHC MTI, Royal IHC’s knowledge development centre, coordinated the four-year Blue Mining programme and now presents the outcome. A consortium of 19 partners from 6 EU countries cooperated closely to develop tools and methods for seafloor mapping, resource estimation, and economic assessments of resources. It also analysed vertical transport technology to understand the prospects of mining extinct sulphide deposits and polymetallic nodules on the seafloor.
The main results of four years of work comprise data, computer models, new measurement technologies and technology concepts. Data sets have been acquired during research cruises at sea and laboratory tests on small and even large scale vertical hydraulic transport tests.
The computer codes developed in Blue Mining can be used for detailed simulation of riser dynamics and slurry transport processes. These codes are validated by the laboratory experiments.
Even more tangible are the new sensor technologies for finding extinct seafloor massive sulphides, a blueprint for economic evaluation of deep sea resources and a concept design for vertical transport system technology with special attention for booster stations. For the latter, a special deep sea motor has been developed and tested.
Blue Nodules
Blue Mining might be finished, but the research and development efforts in the field of deep-sea mining continue in the Blue Nodules programme, which has started two years ago with IHC Mining in the lead.
Curious to learn more? Download the Blue Mining Public Report or visit the project website.
Picture: Scope of Blue Nodules, the EU H2020 project that is a follow-up of Blue Mining aiming at technology development for subsea harvesting of resources (source: www.blue-nodules.eu).
