Deep-sea mining less harmful to environment thanks to new ‘minerals collector’
At the bottom of the ocean, there are fields full of metals such as copper, manganese, nickel and cobalt, extremely useful materials for accelerating the energy transition. Just think how much cobalt is needed in self-driving cars. The challenge in the field of deep-sea mining is to excavate these materials as efficiently and sustainably as possible. Rudy Helmons, researcher in Offshore and Dredging Engineering, designed the Collector 2.0 in partnership with IHC Mining. This is a ‘vacuum cleaner’ driven by water pressure that collects raw materials on the seabed. It picks up less sediment and loses less water. The new device has been thoroughly tested, and the results are promising for the future.
Read the full article here: