New study with technology for low-energy mining of technology-critical rare minerals. The main feature of the new method is that it can greatly reduce the release of carbon dioxide during mining. The critical mining technology has been introduced by researchers from the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin. The study is published in full in the US Department of Energy Journal.
The new technology ensures that rare earth minerals such as lithium, nickel and cobalt can be mined with minimal carbon emissions. Currently, the extraction of these rare minerals is extremely energy-intensive and polluting. Environmentally harmful greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide are also emitted as part of such mining.
Present technology allows mining of rare mineral rocks without sequestering carbon dioxide. Researchers claim that even carbon negative is possible. Carbon negative is when more carbon can be safely stored in rocks than is emitted through mining. Carbon dioxide can also be delivered for other industrial purposes.
The US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded five million dollars in funding to scientists for studies on this topic. In a three-year project, experiments will be conducted in laboratories for two years. Later application of this technology will be done in collaboration with Canada Nickel Company. The new technology will be tested in 20 mines along the US-Canada border.
English Summary: New mining technology uses CO2 to control critical minerals: Study