Abstract
The critical metal contents of four types of seabed mineral resources, including a deep-sea sediment deposit, are evaluated as potential rare earth element (REE) resources. The deep-sea resources have relatively low total rare earth oxide (TREO) contents, a narrow range of TREO grades (0.049–0.185%), and show characteristics that are consistent with those of land-based ion adsorption REE deposits. The relative REO distributions of the deep-seabed resources are also consistent with those of ion adsorption REE deposits on land. REEs that are not part of a crystal lattice of host minerals within deep-sea mineral deposits are favorable for mining, as there is no requirement for crushing and/or pulverizing during ore processing. Furthermore, low concentrations of Th and U reduce the risk of adverse environmental impacts. Despite the low TREO grades of the deep-seabed mineral deposits, a significant TREO yield from polymetallic nodules and REE-bearing deep-sea sediments from the Korean tenements has been estimated (1 Mt and 8 Mt, respectively). Compared with land-based REE deposits, deep-sea mineral deposits can be considered as low-grade mineral deposits with a large tonnage. The REEs and critical metals from deep-sea mineral deposits are important by-products and co-products of the main commodities (e.g., Co and Ni), and may increase the economic feasibility of their extraction.
Highlights
The term “critical metal” refers to staple metals that are essential to advanced manufacturing, green technologies, and other growing industries [1,2]
51% of the deposits are classified as large deposits, as they contain 0.1 Mt of total rare earth oxide (TREO) and have continuously produced rare earth elements for >20 years at a rate of 5000 t/year rare earth oxide (REO)
We evaluated the critical metal potential of these deposits in terms of TREO grade, ore and TREO tonnage, RRD, and basket price
Summary
The term “critical metal” refers to staple metals that are essential to advanced manufacturing, green technologies, and other growing industries [1,2]. Several assessments have adapted and have come to assorted decisions about the most at-risk resources, but an agreement has been made around a key group of metals such as rare earth elements, transition metals, and platinum group metals. The demand for these critical metals has increased, raising concerns for resource sustainability. The exploitation of seabed mineral resources such as polymetallic nodules, ferromanganese crusts, seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) deposits, and rare earth element-bearing deep-sea sediments have been identified as possible critical metal sources [3,4,5,6,7,8].
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