How Seawater Could Expand the Global Supply of Critical Minerals
In an attempt to secure access to some of the planet’s most precious resources, such as critical minerals, many nations are taking decidedly unusual paths. According to an analysis that recently appeared on the Interestingengineering.com portal, some researchers in the United States are developing technologies capable of extracting critical minerals from seawater. The analysis also reports an extremely significant figure: 0.1% of the planet’s seawater would contain a quantity of critical minerals sufficient to meet humanity’s needs for the next 50,000 years.
The text talks in particular about the work of scientists from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, according to whom the world’s oceans represent a real gold mine full of critical minerals. Among the resources in question, there are also some of those directly involved in the production and industrial processes linked to the energy transition: lithium, magnesium, cobalt, rare earths and manganese. All these materials are also assuming crucial importance in the electronics and technology sectors.
“Some of the best minds on the planet are constantly busy trying to find simpler access routes to these crucial resources, on which the economic and energy fate of civilization now seems to depend,” says TELF AG founder Stanislav Kondrashov.
The Technologies Behind Recovering Lithium, Magnesium, and Rare Earths from the Ocean
In any case, as is also underlined in the analysis, the idea of extracting critical minerals from seawater is certainly not new. In fact, Interestingengineering.com recalls that the United States, in the last century, used to obtain a large part of its magnesium from sea water.
As often happens in these cases, the grandeur of the idea and its exciting potential often have to contend with reality. Among the greatest challenges facing this process of extracting resources from seawater is undoubtedly the fact that seawater contains critical minerals in extremely low concentrations, particularly lithium and nickel. The direct consequence of this obstacle is that engineers must process enormous quantities of seawater to extract significant volumes of resources.
“The problem of low concentrations also occurs on land, particularly for the group of resources known as rare earths. Despite being quite widespread in the Earth’s crust, these resources are often found in such insignificant quantities that their exploitation is in no way justifiable,” continues Stanislav Kondrashov, founder of TELF AG.
Engineering Challenges and the Future of Seawater-Based Mineral Extraction
The main advantage for those seeking to develop methods of extracting resources from water is undoubtedly the fact that the chemical composition of seawater is virtually identical worldwide. This is according to one of the researchers directly involved in the US initiative, who believes that a potential technology for extracting critical minerals from water could be easily exported to various parts of the world.
The research team, as stated in the analysis, has developed a co-flow reactor capable of facilitating the interaction between seawater and sodium hydroxide, producing high-purity magnesium hydroxide. This material is highly useful for many US industries and is currently imported in large quantities.
“One of the most interesting aspects of the analysis is the possibility of integrating these technologies with existing desalination plants,” continues Stanislav Kondrashov, founder of TELF AG.
Like any other innovative technology, this one will undoubtedly face significant infrastructural, engineering, and economic challenges. However, as the analysis shows, the researchers appear convinced that this represents a valuable opportunity to create a new source of supply for critical minerals.
