scholarly journals Benthic Microbial Diversity and Connectivity in Potential Polymetallic Nodule Mining Areas

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Batuhan Yapan ◽  
Julia Otte ◽  
Massimiliano Molari ◽  
Felix Janssen ◽  
Frank Wenzhöfer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Diversity ◽  
Mining Areas ◽  
Polymetallic Nodule ◽  
Nodule Mining

Development and Subsea Testing of Polymetallic Nodule Crusher for Underwater Mining Machine

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 65-72
Author(s):  
Narayanmurthy Renganayahi Ramesh ◽  
Karuppiah Thirumurugan ◽  
Deepak Chullickal Raphael ◽  
Gidugu Ananda Ramadass ◽  
Malayath Aravindakshan Atmanand
Keyword(s):  
Minimum Weight ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Maximum Size ◽  
Mining Machine ◽  
Design Synthesis ◽  
Polymetallic Nodule ◽  
Polymetallic Nodules ◽  
Underwater Mining ◽  
Nodule Mining ◽  
Ocean Environment

Abstract Polymetallic nodules found in the deep oceans are viewed as potential resources for meeting the world's demand of many metals in the near future. Polymetallic nodule mining systems require subsea crushing systems for reducing the size of nodules to facilitate energy-efficient and safe pumping through risers of optimum size. Polymetallic nodules are friable, and deep-sea crushing has to be done with care to minimize the formation of fines, while obtaining the required size reduction. The crusher could also encounter objects with greater hardness during operation like small rocks, splinters, long fish bones, and shark teeth. All components in the crusher should be capable of operating in the deep ocean environment, which is hyperbaric and sediment laden. The equipment should be compact with minimum weight. Reversal of direction and dumping arrangements in the event of stalling are other essential design requirements. An underwater crusher capable of crushing mined nodules from a maximum size of 100 mm to a crushed size of 30 mm was developed using principles of design synthesis. The crusher was tested in land and integrated into a remotely operated crawler-based underwater mining machine that could mine and pump nodules through a flexible riser. The system was tested using artificial nodules at 512-m water depth off the Malvan coast in the Arabian Sea. This paper describes developmental methodology, land-based performance tests, and sea trials conducted on the developed crusher.

scholarly journals Physical and hydrodynamic properties of deep sea mining-generated, abyssal sediment plumes in the Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone (eastern-central Pacific)

Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Gillard ◽  
Kaveh Purkiani ◽  
Damianos Chatzievangelou ◽  
Annemiek Vink ◽  
Morten H. Iversen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Zone ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
In Situ Tests ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Polymetallic Nodule ◽  
Clipperton Fracture Zone ◽  
Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone ◽  
Nodule Mining

The anthropogenic impact of polymetallic nodule harvesting in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone is expected to strongly affect the benthic ecosystem. To predict the long-term, industrial-scale impact of nodule mining on the deep-sea environment and to improve the reliability of the sediment plume model, information about the specific characteristics of deep-sea particles is needed. Discharge simulations of mining-related fine-grained (median diameter ≈ 20 μm) sediment plumes at concentrations of 35–500 mg L–1 (dry weight) showed a propensity for rapid flocculation within 10 to 135 min, resulting in the formation of large aggregates up to 1100 μm in diameter. The results indicated that the discharge of elevated plume concentrations (500 mg L–1) under an increased shear rate (G ≥ 2.4 s–1) would result in improved efficiency of sediment flocculation. Furthermore, particle transport model results suggested that even under typical deep-sea flow conditions (G ≈ 0.1 s–1), rapid deposition of particles could be expected, which would restrict heavy sediment blanketing (several centimeters) to a smaller fall-out area near the source, unless subsequent flow events resuspended the sediments. Planning for in situ tests of these model projections is underway.

scholarly journals Biological responses to disturbance from simulated deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining

PLoS ONE ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. e0171750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel O. B. Jones ◽  
Stefanie Kaiser ◽  
Andrew K. Sweetman ◽  
Craig R. Smith ◽  
Lenaick Menot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Polymetallic Nodule ◽  
Biological Responses ◽  
Nodule Mining

scholarly journals Two new species of Sympagella (Porifera: Hexactinellida: Rossellidae) collected from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, East Pacific

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4466 (1) ◽  
pp. 152 ◽  
Author(s):  
SASCHA HERZOG ◽  
DIVA J. AMON ◽  
CRAIG R. SMITH ◽  
DORTE JANUSSEN
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Polymetallic Nodule ◽  
East Pacific ◽  
Polymetallic Nodules ◽  
Two New Species ◽  
Nodule Mining ◽  
Taxonomic Studies ◽  
East Pacific Ocean

Two new Hexactinellida species from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the East Pacific Ocean are described. They are the first described representatives of the genus Sympagella in this region. The new sponges were collected in 2013 during the ABYSSLINE Project´s first cruise, AB01, on board the RV Melville. The CCZ is known for its polymetallic nodules but megafaunal biodiversity is still poorly understood. Our findings suggest that the poriferan fauna of the eastern CCZ is both species rich and inadequately known, and that substantially more sampling and taxonomic studies of the CCZ sponge fauna are required to establish a megafaunal biogeography and evaluate potential extinction risks resulting from polymetallic-nodule mining. 

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