Metal contents
Metal contents
Metals from the seabed for the high-tech industry
All three polymetallic ores from the deep sea (manganese nodules, massive sulphides and cobalt-rich crusts) have high concentrations of metals that are necessary for future global economic development. In the manufacturing industry alone (e.g. electro-mobility and regenerative energy generation) there is a high demand for cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese both now and in future. Depending on the type of marine raw material, the ores also contain trace metals such as gold and silver and - as by-products - rare earths in significant qualities and contents. The exploration results in this respect are particularly promising for massive sulphides - these by-products are suitable for increasing the profitability of the technologies to be developed for deep-sea mining.
© Mark Hannington et al., 2010
© Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament,the Council,
the European and Social Committee and the Committee
of the Regionson the 2017 List of Critical Raw Materials for the EU (13.09.2017)