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Seabed mining the next frontier as DeepGreen trawls Pacific for copper

Jana Marais | 24 August 2018 DeepGreen Metals, which plans to extract copper, cobalt, zinc and manganese from the seabed in the Pacific Ocean, says it is making steady progress on its plan to become the world’s first zero-waste miner. It has invested $62m since 2011 on exploration and the development of its processing technology, […]

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ore sorting

New Mineral-Sensing Technology Accelerates Ore Sorting

A new technology may accelerate ore sorting by illuminating batches of ore with short pulses of radio waves, assessing ore grade and enabling high tonnage sorting at rates of up to 5,000 tons per hour.  The technology uses sensors to sees through large ore batches in real time as they pass through an open-ended chamber. […]

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copper jumps

Copper jumps to 3-week high

ANDREW TOPF on MINING.COM | 17 December 2017 “The copper price is scaling heights not seen since the end of November, bolstered by strong economic data coming out of China and Wall Street buying. 9Finance reported on Sunday that rising stock market indices on Wall Street “had boosted sentiment and sparked a wave of buying on […]

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ore sorting

The next-gen ore sorter

MINING MAGAZINE | 15 December 2017 “The technology’s advanced sensor system takes advantage of magnetic resonance technology. It illuminates batches of ore with short pulses of radio waves, assessing ore grade and enabling high tonnage sorting at extremely high speeds. NextOre’s ore sorter is able to detect the magnetic resonance signatures of many minerals, including […]

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electronic waste

Electronic waste at new high, squandering gold, other metals – study

REUTERS on MINING WEEKLY | 14 Dec 2017 “Electronic waste rose to a record 45-million tonnes worldwide in 2016, squandering valuable metals such as gold and copper since few trashed televisions, cellphones or other products get recycled, a UN-backed study showed on Wednesday. Rising incomes and falling prices for everything from solar panels to fridges […]

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Papua New Guinea deep sea mine

Troubled Papua New Guinea deep-sea mine faces environmental challenge

HELEN DAVIDSON and BEN DOHERTY on THE GUARDIAN | 11 Dec 2017 “A controversial experimental deep-sea mine is being challenged in court by environmental groups who have accused the Papua New Guinea government of withholding key documents about its approval. Nautilus Minerals Inc, a Canada-based company primarily owned by Russian and Omani mining firms, wants […]

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electric cars

‘Miner’s revenge’ is coming with electric cars, Friedland says

BLOOMBERG via MINING WEEKLY | 1 Dec 2017 “Surging demand for metals like copper, nickel and cobalt for use in electric vehicles promises to overturn the balance of power between mining companies and their customers, according to billionaire investor Robert Friedland. Automakers will have to change the way they approach procurement if they want to […]

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cobalt

Cobalt on the Rise

Interest in deep sea mining has been accelerating due to the rising price of cobalt. The metal is an important component of EV batteries, laptops and cell phones. In October 2017, cobalt prices reached a nine-year high, trading at around US$30 per pound, tripling its 2015 value of US$10.   The rise is not only seen […]

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Cook Islands

Cook Islands Partners to Explore Pacific Bounty

The government of the Cook Islands, through the Cook Islands Investment Corporation (CIIC), entered into an agreement in September with U.S. based Ocean Minerals, LLC (OML) for the exclusive right for up to 18 months to prospect and explore high value polymetallic nodules over approximately 23,000 square kilometers of the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone […]

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