In early February, Japan announced an important step – lifting tests rare earth metals from a depth of almost six kilometers near Minamitori Island. The project is designed to reduce the country’s dependence on supplies from China. However, experts doubt that such technologies are ready for real use.
The first and main problem is technical. Equipment for pumping sludge was purchased in the UK. Deliveries were delayed, and the reliability of the complex system at real depths has yet to be proven. Without its own technology, Japan risks becoming dependent on foreign suppliers.
The second problem is money. Mining metals from the ocean floor is incredibly expensive compared to working on land. One ton of sludge contains only about two kilograms of valuable elements. Retrieving them is a task with more than two hundred complex chemical processes.
Japanese experts have calculated that mining costs can be tens of times higher than the cost of Chinese ore from the mainland. To simply launch the project, you need to invest approximately 75 billion yen. And it will be possible to recoup these investments only after 16 years. For business, this is a huge risk with unclear benefits.
The third problem is ecology. Deep-sea mining poses threats that scientists have not yet learned how to prevent. At the moment of soil sampling, plumes of turbidity rise, which cover benthic organisms. The noise from the pumps disrupts the migration of whales and other marine mammals.
But the most dangerous thing is the long-term consequences. Ecosystems at depth are restored monstrously slowly. Intervention could destroy unique species and forever upset the delicate balance. There are no uniform rules for such production.
Japan says it monitors the environment according to its own standards. But as long as there is no global consensus, any unilateral steps remain questionable. Scientists around the world are warning that rushing to launch such projects is dangerous and short-sighted.
Thus, before commercial production rare earth metals are still a long way from the ocean floor. The technologies are unproven, the economics aren’t adding up, and the environmental risks frighten even the optimists.
Source: CGTN
Image: CGTN
