Discussing the importance of decarbonizing the mining sector to meet the demand for infrastructure and materials needed for global population and wealth growth elicits the need for the industry to communicate better about this paradigm shift, which includes a focus on rare earth metals.
Reuse and recycling are essential, but new minerals are required, especially for the net-zero transition; the challenges of decarbonizing the mining sector, including the energy consumed in converting raw materials, urge the adoption of solutions such as electrification, biofuels or synthetic fuels, and hydrogen.
Watch the interview with Thomas Koch Blank, Senior Principal of Breakthrough Technologies Program at RMI, to further explore this essential topic.
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Thomas Koch Blank -
Alexander Allen -
Bruno Rafael Santos
- A mine haul truck can be as tall as a three-story building, and the most powerful trucks can haul the equivalent of the weight of 125 elephants
- Mine haul trucks are responsible for up to 50% of the emission at a mine: and if you take all the trucks in the world together, they emit as much CO2 as the country of New Zealand.
- Hydrogen-fueled vehicles generate zero direct emissions from their use.
- The steel industry is the single largest contributor to industry CO2 emissions
In this series
At RMI, Thomas Koch Blank leads initiatives to promote the adoption of green hydrogen in heavy industry. With his experience in the fields of sustainability, energy and resource efficiency, renewable energy and access to energy, mining and minerals, hydrogen, and solar system design, Thomas is a leader of a portfolio of initiatives focused on accelerating clean energy technology and decarbonizing heavy industry.
Prior to his work at RMI, Thomas helped build consultancy McKinsey & Company’s Sustainability and Resource Productivity practice, advising the world’s largest companies on the decarbonization of production and supply chains. He also served as a senior advisor to national governments drafting and implementing sustainability strategies.
A new technology is being developed to address the increasing problem of extracting metals and minerals for the tech industry without causing significant environmental harm and financial burdens. This technology, called "The Oyster," utilises electro-extraction to recover metals in their elemental state, which can lead to decreased energy use and carbon emissions in mining. The process is applicable to raw materials, waste products and post-consumer waste. By eliminating the need for smelting, this technology can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 92% compared to traditional mining. Watch the interview with Alexander Allen, Director of Business Development and Head of Mining at Nth Cycle, to find out more details!
Bruno Santos is a tire field test engineer with over 10 years of experience validating new technologies, products, and services. He has extensive knowledge of the tire industry, and his technical expertise and ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams has been instrumental in the successful development of new products and services. Bruno is passionate about finding innovative solutions to improve tire performance and safety. His commitment to continuous improvement makes him a highly valuable professional in the tire industry.