The Development History and Latest Progress of Deep-Sea Polymetallic Nodule Mining Technology

Kang, Yajuan; Liu, Shaojun

doi:10.3390/min11101132

Cited by 76 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Based on considerations of economy, mining efficiency, technology, environmental impact, etc. [74], the mining method predominantly studied internationally has been the pipeline-lift mining system (Figure 4b) [57], which includes three main components: a seabed mining vehicle, a lifting pipeline and a surface mining vessel [75,76]. Research on the seabed mining vehicle has mostly focused on how to move efficiently under the water, how better to collect nodules, and how to realize the positioning of a mining vehicle under disturbance.…”

Section: Mining Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The vertical pipeline lifting method is currently the main method of deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining research in various countries [83,[86][87][88][89][90]. The nodules collected by the mining truck are transported to the surface of the sea by pipeline transportation.…”

Section: Mining Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The research results of the above mining technology will eventually be verified through in situ tests, and the reliability of the technology will be repeatedly verified through mining simulation experiments. In recent years, various countries have gradually completed sea trials of self-developed deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining systems [86][87][88][89][90]. South Korea completed a sea test of its self-developed pipeline lifting device in 2016 [97], and China completed acceptance of the collection and lifting device of its self-developed polymetallic nodule mining system in the South China Sea in June 2021 [87].…”

Section: Mining Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Effects of Migration and Diffusion of Suspended Sediments on the Seabed Environment during Exploitation of Deep-Sea Polymetallic Nodules

Fan

Jia

Chu

et al. 2022

Water

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With the increase in demand for metal resources, research on deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining has been reinvigorated, but the problem of its environmental impact cannot be ignored. No matter what method is used for mining, it will disturb the surface sediments of the seabed, thereby increasing the concentration of suspended solid particles and metal ions in the water body, changing the properties of the near-bottom water body and sediments, and affecting biological activity and the living environment. Focusing on the ecological and environmental impacts of deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining, taking as our main subject of focus the dynamic changes in sediments, we investigated the environmental impacts of nodule mining and their relationships with each other. On this basis, certain understandings are summarized relating to the ecological and environmental impacts of deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining, based on changes in the engineering geological properties of sediment, and solutions for current research problems are proposed.

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Section: Mining Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mining Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mining Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Effects of Migration and Diffusion of Suspended Sediments on the Seabed Environment during Exploitation of Deep-Sea Polymetallic Nodules

Fan

Jia

Chu

et al. 2022

Water

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show abstract

“…Some of them and the original agencies are planning to conduct pilot-scale collector tests in the FN distribution areas and the environmental monitoring under growing concern to minimize the impacts. There is a lot of information available from contractors, machinery companies, and institutions [81][82][83][84]. Pilot-scale collector tests are estimated to be large-scale.…”

Section: Large-scale Deep-sea Impact Experiments Scheduled and Simulation Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary Economic Feasibility Study of Ferromanganese Nodule Mining by Mechanical Lifting and Small-Scale Collectors

Hong¹,

Kim²,

Yeu³

et al. 2021

Minerals

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Ferromanganese nodules have been recognized as a potential future metal source for over 50 years. Many research and development efforts have been conducted by many organizations. Most of the efforts have been concentrated into the mining technologies especially for hydraulic lifting through riser pipes with bulk-scale nodule collector. However, no commercial mining venture exists. Uncertainty in the economy of nodule mining is considered to be the reason for this. In order to improve the economy, a mining subsystem based on mechanical lifting and small-scale collectors is proposed and the preliminary economic feasibility is examined in this study. The benefit was at a favorable level compared with that using hydraulic lifting with bulk-scale collector. From the viewpoint of environmental impact assessment, environmental considerations of deep-sea sediment plume are explained.

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“…Manganese nodules have various shapes, mainly including spherical, ellipsoidal, and conjoined nodules, along with small amounts of debris and plates, as shown in Figure 1. Deep-sea manganese nodule resources have become a strategic guarantee for sustainable economic development in the future [2][3][4], with the main manganese reserve areas being shown in Figure 2. The mining system has to withstand the extreme environment of the ultra-high deep-sea pressure of several kilometers, along with seawater corrosion and other problems, which makes mining technology extremely difficult and requires an extremely large mining system.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study on the Pressure–Sinkage Process and Constitutive Model of Deep-Sea Sediment

Wei

Cao

Xia

2022

JMSE

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The driving performance of subsea mining vehicles is greatly affected by the pressure–sinkage characteristics of deep-sea sediment. Therefore, it is of great importance to analyze the microscopic properties of deep-sea sediment and establish the corresponding pressure–sinkage model for the safe operation of subsea mining vehicles. Hence, the present paper focuses on the physical properties of deep-sea sediment to provide a preliminary understanding of its pressure–sinkage process and evolution according to the solid–liquid two-phase flow characteristics and particle flow mechanism. In addition, the stress loading time and the rheological theory are applied in order to introduce a four-element model that describes the various pressure–sinkage stages that correspond to each stage of deep-sea sediment evolution. On this basis, the parameters of the pressure–sinkage constitutive model are determined by a specific calculation method. Moreover, a new pressure–sinkage constitutive model of deep-sea sediment that considers the time-variable mechanical properties is established in order to describe the full sinkage process. Finally, research results from the existing literature and experimental data are used to verify the rationality and correctness of the model. The results show that the proposed pressure–sinkage constitutive model is in good agreement with experimental data and is effective in describing the evolution of the mechanical properties and the trend in the sinkage rate of deep-sea sediment at various stages. A comparison with the Kelvin model indicates that the proposed pressure–sinkage constitutive model provides superior accuracy with the use of fewer parameters. Consequently, this study can provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the design of subsea mining vehicles.

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The Development History and Latest Progress of Deep-Sea Polymetallic Nodule Mining Technology

Cited by 76 publications

References 26 publications

Effects of Migration and Diffusion of Suspended Sediments on the Seabed Environment during Exploitation of Deep-Sea Polymetallic Nodules

Effects of Migration and Diffusion of Suspended Sediments on the Seabed Environment during Exploitation of Deep-Sea Polymetallic Nodules

Preliminary Economic Feasibility Study of Ferromanganese Nodule Mining by Mechanical Lifting and Small-Scale Collectors

Study on the Pressure–Sinkage Process and Constitutive Model of Deep-Sea Sediment

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