Impossible Mining (IM), a California-based startup with the aim of being the world's first sustainable mining company, has revealed a technology it says allows the responsible harvesting of battery metals on the seafloor.
Credit: Impossible Mining
Impossible Mining says its underwater robot uses selective pickup of polymetallic nodules which are rich in battery metals. Credit: Impossible Mining.
The company says that it is "shaping a multi-trillion dollar industry" with its robotic collection system which it claims can selectively pick up small, battery metal-rich nodules from the ocean floor without damaging the marine ecosystem.
After being sent to the bottom of the ocean, the robots activate machine vision cameras and robotic arms on its underside, which then harvest the metals. The vehicle then "hovers" above the seabed, which IM says avoids disturbing the sediment. The cameras "see" rocks that are home to animal life and leave them untouched. Once full, the robot then ascends to the ship above, unloads and is recharged to be sent back down again.
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IM also announced that it will be looking at "integrating its robotics" on vessels run by Dutch offshore contractors Boskalis for "selective harvesting of nodules" in the Cook Islands in the South Pacific.
"We are showing the world that a nimble innovator like Impossible Mining can make big changes in the mining industry. By partnering with global leaders like Boskalis, we are paving the way to widespread uptake of our technology that will disrupt the mining industry on both land and underwater - making it more sustainable, more economic, and more secure,” said Oliver Gunasekara, CEO & Co-Founder of Impossible Mining.
Metals such as manganese, copper, zinc, cobalt and nickel are vital for the manufacture of electric vehicle batteries, and companies and governments are racing to secure supplies of these valuable elements.
Supply chain disruptions in recent years - both pandemic and Ukraine-Russia related - have led to louder calls for more regional supply chains.
Read more: New "Goldilocks Zone" could provide precious metals for energy transition
While all these metals are also mined on land, there have been reports of the use of child labour in the so-called "artisanal mines" of the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo, a country holding over 70% of the world's cobalt.
In 2020, five of the world's largest tech companies including Google-parent Alphabet and Tesla were accused of complicity in the death of children in the DRC in a lawsuit filed in the US.
Deepsea mining is seen by some as an effective way of obtaining these metals and other rare earth minerals while avoiding unstable supply chains and working in countries with poor human rights records, and the sector is growing rapidly.
According to figures published last year by London-based market research company Trends Market Research, the global deepsea mining market from mineral retrieval alone is projected to grow more than 37% - from $650 million (€590 million) in 2020 to $15.3 billion (€13.9 billion) - by the end of the decade.
A similar report also published last year by Dublin's Research and Markets suggested the market for the technology and equipment necessary to make deepsea mining possible would fare even better, predicting a 61.4% increase from $811.9 million (€736.4 million) in 2020 to $728 billion (€660.3 billion) by 2030.
Read more: Leading tech & auto firms sign up to WWF's deep-sea mining moratorium
The subject of deepsea mining is a contentious one, and the practice can be devastating for marine ecosystems through dredging, emissions and noise pollution.
IM says that their tech avoids the destruction associated with traditional deepsea mining practices, and claims to have signed over $500 million (€453.5 million) in Letters of Intent with battery manufacturers.
"Demonstrating that our robotics manipulator can deliver the throughput required for economic production, while also preserving the seafloor ecosystem, answers the major question our competitors raise about the viability of selective harvesting," said Renee Grogan, Chief Sustainability Officer and Co-Founder of Impossible Mining.
"We are well on the way to showing that no longer does mineral production have to come at the cost of sustainability."
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