By SHOKO TAMAKI/ Staff Writer
June 23, 2024 at 13:19 JST
Manganese nodules on the sea floor off Minami-Torishima island in the Pacific Ocean (Provided by the Nippon Foundation)
A vast trove of valuable rare metals, cobalt and nickel to name just some, lies deep below the sea surface in Japan’s exclusive economic zone nearly 2,000 kilometers southeast of Tokyo, researchers say.
Now, plans are afoot to begin trial collection of the manganese nodules, or mineral concretions, from the Pacific Ocean site as early as 2025 with a view toward commercialization.
Manganese nodules rich in cobalt, nickel and other rare metals were found concentrated on the sea floor near Minami-Torishima island, Japan’s easternmost island, according to a June 21 announcement by the University of Tokyo and the Nippon Foundation.
A research team conducted a survey from April to June to extract mineral resources scattered on the seabed at depths of between 5,200 and 5,700 meters off the island, part of the Ogasawara island chain.
Based on the survey, which covered 10,000 square kilometers, researchers estimate there are about 230 million tons of manganese nodules.
The concretions are estimated to contain about 610,000 tons of cobalt, equivalent to 75 years of Japan’s domestic consumption, and about 740,000 tons of nickel, which would keep Japan supplied for 11 years at current rates of consumption.
In the experimental operation expected to start in 2025, researchers plan to collect about 2,500 tons of manganese nodules a day with an eye on securing 3 million tons a year.
Cobalt, nickel and other rare metals are used in electric vehicles, smartphones and other products that require sophisticated electronics.
But Japan depends on imports because those resources are concentrated in certain areas, such as Africa and Australia.
Researchers are pinning their hopes that the undersea concentrations of manganese nodules off Minami-Torishima island will substantially increase domestic supply.
Yasuhiro Kato, a professor of earth resource science at the University of Tokyo, said nickel and cobalt are extremely important resources in terms of economic security.
“It is important to develop those resources while determining economic viability in response to fluctuations in mineral prices,” Kato said.
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