Posted on 05/04/2021 11:04:25 AM PDT by Red Badger
Scientists have developed a new 'key-hole surgery' technique to extract metals from the Earth—which could revolutionize the future of metal mining
A team of international researchers, including Dr. Rich Crane from the Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter, have developed a new method to extract metals, such as copper, from their parent ore body.
The research team have provided a proof of concept for the application of an electric field to control the movement of an acid within a low permeability copper-bearing ore deposit to selectively dissolve and recover the metal in situ.
This is in contrast to the conventional approach for the mining of such deposits where the material must be physically excavated, which requires removal of both overburden and any impurities within the ore (known as gangue material).
The researchers believe the new technique has the potential to transform the mining industry, because it has the capability to dissolve metals from a wide range of ore deposits that were previously considered inaccessible.
Furthermore, due to the non-invasive nature of the extraction, the research team are hopeful that the study will help usher in a more sustainable future for the industry.
This is urgently required now in order to provide the plethora of metals required to deliver green technology, such as renewable energy infrastructure and electrified vehicles, whilst limiting any potential environmental damage associated with the mining of such vitally important metals.
The study was recently published in Science Advances.
Dr. Rich Crane from the Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter, and co-author of the study, said: "This new approach, analogous to "key-hole surgery", has the potential to provide a more sustainable future for the mining industry, by enabling the recovery of metals, such as copper, which are urgently needed for our global transition to a new Green Economy, whilst avoiding unwanted environmental disturbance and energy consumption."
The central principle behind most modern mining techniques has not fundamentally changed since their original conception, which marked the beginning of the Bronze Age: metals are recovered from the subsurface via physical excavation, i.e., the construction of tunnels to gain access to the deposits, or by creating "open cast" mines.
This technique demands large volumes of surface soil, overburden and gangue material to also be excavated, which can contain millions of tons of material—and can also lead to habitat destruction.
In this new publication, experts from the University of Western Australia, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the Technical University of Denmark and the University of Exeter, have demonstrated that a targeted electric field can be used to dissolve and then recover copper in situ from the ore—avoiding any requirement to physically excavate the material.
This new technology comprises the construction (drilling) of electrodes directly into an ore body. An electric current is then applied which can result in the transport of electrically charged metal ions, such as copper, through the rock via a process called electromigration.
The research team have now provided a Proof of Concept for this new technology at laboratory scale, which has also been verified using computer modeling. They are confident that the idea will work beyond the laboratory-scale.
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More information: Evelien Martens et al, Toward a more sustainable mining future with electrokinetic in situ leaching, Science Advances (2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf9971 Journal information: Science Advances Provided by University of Exeter
Enviros will hate it for some reason they wil think up shortly.................
Somewhat similar in principle to Fracking, is what it sounds like. Viva Las Scientists!
That’s what I was thinking, Fracking for metals!...............
Ground water.
They will say it endangers the ground water.
It is their catchall, only a little less than "global warming".
What was wrong with giant dust creating trenches and using lots of cyanide?
Furthermore, due to the non-invasive nature of the extraction, the research team are hopeful that the study will help usher in a more sustainable future for the industry.
—
No, because mining in any form hurts Mother Gaia and the Erf’s environment, impoverishing the children! Lawsuits now being prepared!
Extracting metals from ore is a messy, nasty process involving corrosive chemicals, and lots of contaminated tailings.
In situ recovery is already widely used for uranium and phosphates, as I know.
(Well, after Jesus, that is)
Trust the science!
That’s the way I set fence posts. Dig the hole wider at the bottom. That way the little bit of concrete I put at the bottom will have to pull out plenty of undisturbed soil.
Nice to see progress is still marching on in spite of the never ending ruthless efforts of progressives plotting to end it.
“A Crack in the Earth “
Hey it might work.
LOL
The democrats will be against it here as they complain about fracking which is putting SAND into cracks in the earth.
Acid leaching of in-ground metal deposits has been done in Miami, Arizona for decades. (The copper couldn’t be mined because private houses sit on top of the deposit.) This looks like a refinement of the process, but the concept isn’t new.
For copper too. See Taseko in Arizona.
The article is somewhat confusing. Is the acid already in the ground, or is it injected into ground?
This would be a great innovation especially if the fools succeed in trying to greenify the energy supply. I’ll wait and see whether it is scalable to the level of tonnage needed for all those green machines.
...the research team are hopeful that the study will help usher in a more sustainable future for the industry.
Sustainable my ass. And, within 25 years, it's likely that most metals mining / processing will be done in space by robots and delivered to the Earth's surface via robotic reentry vehicles built from metals similarly obtained and ablative shielding made from mine tailings. It'll be cool. Thanks Red Badger.
Injected...............
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