Environment and Deep-Sea Mining: A Perspective

Abstract

As the quest for deep-sea mineral resources is gaining momentum, environment and ocean mining have become important aspects of study. Because many of these deposits occur in international waters, the concern for environmental conservation in view of the effects of deep-sea mining is resulting in these effects being studied in different oceans, and efforts to develop regulations governing this exploitation are also underway at national and international levels. The impact assessment of deep-sea mining needs to encompass a variety of subjects, including environmental, socioeconomic, technological, and legal aspects. At the same time, effects of in situ environmental conditions on mining activities also need to be considered for effecient performance by the mining system. Differences in the degree of impact have been noticed during the mining simulation experiments by different investigating agencies. Therefore, interparameter comparisons, standardization of methods, and improvement in mining design are important considerations for proper utilization of resources, conservation of environment, and cost efficiency of the mining operations.     

深海采矿潜在环境影响因素及监测技术体系研究

目前深海采矿潜在的生态环境影响引起来了广泛关注,文章针对工业化深海金属矿产资源开采潜在的环境影响监测评估需要,系统地总结了深海铁锰多金属结核、铁锰富钴结壳以多金属硫化物等主要深海资源的基本产状,分析了“物质迁移-羽流产生-声光电磁噪声-耗氧-有毒物质释放”等主流采矿工艺潜在的环境影响因素,基于深海采矿生态环境影响评估调查研究的技术需求,从实施深海采矿环境监测实验工程、建立深海重大装备系统、发展原位监测传感器等方面提出了深海采矿环境监测技术体系建设构架,以期为我国深海采矿生态环境监测保护技术发展提供借鉴。     

海山生物多样性研究近10年国际发展态势与热点

海山是全球深海生物多样性的汇聚区, 且以其高富钴结壳资源和高渔业资源成为深海探测研究热点。海山生态系统易受到人为活动的影响, 海山及其冷水珊瑚被认为是脆弱海洋生态系统的重要构成部分。对海山生物多样性的破坏以及过度开发可能对海洋健康造成不可逆的严重影响, 法律和地缘政治等因素的影响也使得保护海山生物多样性面临很多挑战。本研究对海山生物多样性近10年(2001—2020年)的国际研究计划以及论文发表情况进行了综合分析, 探讨了海山生物多样性研究的国际发展态势和研究热点, 为海山生物多样性研究、保护与管理及相关国际合作的开展提供参考。     

Impact Compressive Creep Characteristics of Simulative Soil for Deep-Sea Sediment

The impact load (equivalent impact height) applied to deep-sea sediment by a walking mining machine was first deduced by the energy conservation principle, and the simulative soil was prepared based on the deep-sea sediment collected from the Pacific C-C mining area. The self-designed impact compressive creep tests of the simulative soil were conducted under different ground stresses and impact heights, in order to determine impact compressive creep parameters using a K-H rheological model. Test results show that the impact compressive creep curves have three similar creep stages (transient creep, unstable creep, and stable creep) to static compressive creep curves, where the transient creep deformation and total deformation at the unstable creep stage decrease with the impact load. Among the three impact compressive creep parameters (K₁, K₂, β) of the simulative soil, K₁ is first increased with impact height and finally fluctuated to a certain stable value, while K₂ and β are approximately linearly increased with impact height. The maximum subsidence of the mining machine under a specific designed ground stress and walking velocity predicted by the impact compressive creep constitutive equation can be used for safety assessment of the mining machine.     

深海采矿细颗粒羽状流数值模拟研究

深海采矿尾矿排放产生的细颗粒羽状流会对海底生态环境造成影响,预测尾矿排放羽状流行为及其对环境影响具有工程意义。基于欧拉多相流方法,采用欧拉双流体模型对深海采矿细颗粒羽状流开展数值模拟研究,分析近海底排放的羽状流演化和发展过程,探究羽状流初始排放质量浓度、排放速度对羽状流扩散过程的影响。结果表明：初始排放条件对羽状流演化性质有重要影响。主射流区被稀释的程度随着初始入射速度的增大而减小,随着入射质量浓度的增大而增大;初始羽状流入射速度和质量浓度越大,撞击海底后的水平方向流动速度越快,影响区域越广;水平速度的峰值随着初始入射速度的增大呈对数增长;当初始质量浓度和速度高于50 g/L和 0.5 m/s 时可能会导致颗粒在海底撞击点附近堆积成坡状,影响底流的后续发展。研究结果可以为深海采矿尾矿排放参数选择提供参考。     

Deep-Sea Impact Experiments and their Future Requirements

In recent years, several experiments to assess the potential impacts due to deep-sea mining in the Pacific as well as the Indian Oceans have indicated the immediate changes and restoration patterns of environmental conditions in the marine ecosystem. The large volume of sediment(~ 500 × 10⁷ m³ per year) estimated to be resuspended would be the major influencing factor in environmental impact in the mining area, leading to changes in availability of certain nutrients and composition of biomass, followed by gradual restoration. Important results have been obtained from these experiments, but in order to have a better understanding of the impacts and restoration processes, it will be necessary to improvise future experiments to resemble actual deep-sea mining in terms of scale and methodology.     

A procedural framework for robust environmental management of deep-sea mining projects using a conceptual model

Robust environmental management of deep-sea mining projects must be integrated into the planning and execution of mining operations, and developed concurrently. It should follow a framework indicating the environmental management-related activities necessary at each project phase, and their interrelationships. An environmental management framework with this purpose is presented in this paper; it facilitates the development of environmental information and decision-making throughout the phases of a mining project. It is based environmental management frameworks used in allied industries, but adjusted for unique characteristics of deep-sea mining. It defines the gathering and synthesis of information and its use in decision-making, and employs a conceptual model as a growing repository of claim-specific information. The environmental management activities at each phase have been designed to enable the implementation of the precautionary approach in decision making, while facilitating review of adaptive management measures to improve environmental management as the quantity and quality of data increases and technologies are honed. This framework will ensure fairness and uniformity in the application of environmental standards, assist the regulator in its requirements to protect the environment, and benefit contractors and financiers by reducing uncertainty in the process.     

深海大型爬行机器人研究现状

对海底不同作业形式的深海大型爬行机器人进行了分类综述,依据当前深海大型爬行机器人在各方面的应用,将其分为了深海采矿机器人和深海挖沟机器人两大类,并对这两类中的一些性能突出的机器人进行了详细的介绍。重点介绍我国第一代、第二代多金属结核采矿机器人,SMD的3个多金属硫化物开采机器人,中科院深海所的富钴结壳规模采样爬行机器人,喷射式挖沟爬行机器人QT2800和机械式挖沟爬行机器人BT2400。并对深海大型爬行机器人的海底复杂行走技术和导航定位技术进行了阐述。行走技术方面,重点介绍Nexans公司的带有铰接式行走腿系统的Spider Dredger,中南大学的铰接履带式采矿机器人和北京矿冶研究总院的复合轮式机器人。导航定位方面,介绍了当前一些在用的深海导航定位技术。最后,对未来深海大型爬行机器人的发展趋势进行了展望。     

News from the seabed – Geological characteristics and resource potential of deep-sea mineral resources

Marine minerals such as manganese nodules, Co-rich ferromanganese crusts, and seafloor massive sulfides are commonly seen as possible future resources that could potentially add to the global raw materials supply. At present, a proper assessment of these resources is not possible due to a severe lack of information regarding their size, distribution, and composition. It is clear, however, that manganese nodules and Co-rich ferromanganese crusts are a vast resource and mining them could have a profound impact on global metal markets, whereas the global resource potential of seafloor massive sulfides appears to be small. These deep-sea mineral commodities are formed by very different geological processes resulting in deposits with distinctly different characteristics. The geological boundary conditions also determine the size of any future mining operations and the area that will be affected by mining. Similarly, the sizes of the most favorable areas that need to be explored for a global resource assessment are also dependent on the geological environment. Size reaches 38 million km² for manganese nodules, while those for Co-rich crusts (1.7 million km²) and massive sulfides (3.2 million km²) are much smaller. Moreover, different commodities are more abundant in some jurisdictions than in others. While only 19% of the favorable area for manganese nodules lies within the Exclusive Economic Zone of coastal states or is covered by proposals for the extension of the continental shelf, 42% of the favorable areas for massive sulfides and 54% for Co-rich crusts are located in EEZs.     

Precautionary management of deep-sea mining

Interest in deep-sea mining developed in the early 1970s, with a focus on manganese nodules in international waters. Mining may actually occur first, however, on rich polymetallic sulfide deposits associated with hydrothermal vents within exclusive economic zones. Even though mining for polymetallic sulfides may not take place for several years, precautionary performance standards, environmental regulations, and the establishment of Marine Protected Areas may help guide the marine mining industry toward a goal of minimizing environmental impacts. Once substantial investments in prospecting and exploring a potential mining site are made, implementation of environmental regulations may prove to be much more difficult.     

Deep-sea Polymetallic Nodule Mining: Challenges Ahead for Technologists and Environmentalists

Although, offshore mining for mineral wealth is not required at present, it may be the only alternative in the future due to the continuous growing demand for certain metals that have no or limited land deposits. Risk involved in deep-sea mining is not less than that in space missions. Limited groups of mining engineers and environmental scientists are conducting studies that influence the development of mining systems and subsystems for collection, screening, lifting, and transportation of deep-sea minerals. Accepting this challenge more than 20 years ago, the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, started surveys and exploration for polymetallic nodules in the Indian Ocean and was the first to receive "Pioneer Status" recognition from the United Nations. Experiments have also been conducted to study the potential impacts of deep-seabed mining.     

长条状粗颗粒在垂直管路中最小输送速度试验研究

随着陆地金属资源的日益枯竭,深海矿产资源已经成为各国的重要战略目标。在深海采矿过程中,海底锰结核的形状除了圆球状,还有长条状等,颗粒形状对固液两相流管道输送特性具有很大影响。基于固液两相流垂直管道提升输送试验系统,探究不同工况下长条状颗粒在垂直上升流中最小输送速度的变化规律及特性,并得到了长条状群体颗粒最小输送速度计算公式。结果表明:长条状颗粒在垂直管道中上升过程中,颗粒中心轴与输送方向趋向于垂直,使颗粒在管道截面的投影面积最大化;长条状单颗粒的最小输送速度随着颗粒长径比增大而减小;在不同长径比工况下,随着管段颗粒平均浓度减小,长条状群体颗粒的最小输送速度均增大,且随着长径比增大,群最小输送速度减小。     

Mining at 2,500 Fathoms under the Sea: Thoughts on an Emerging Regulatory Framework

An industry to recover mineral resources on the abyssal plains is emerging. Albeit at an explorative stage in areas beyond national jurisdiction, the commercial mining of seafloor non-living resources containing strategic metals is a realistic proposition, spurred by the demand for renewable, low-carbon energy infrastructure. The achievement of worldwide techno-economic growth must, under the principle of sustainable development, be coupled with the protection of the marine environment and its natural resources. Overall, this presents not only challenges to the development of mining technologies, but also tests the resilience of international standards governing the regulation of mining activities at great depths, including the development of the highest standards of environmental protection ab inito. This paper explores the approach being taken by the International Seabed Authority in advancing the legal regime for the regulation of mining activities in the Area, and in particular the tools and mechanisms targeted toward the protection of the marine environment.     

Strategic environmental assessment opportunities and risks for Arctic offshore energy planning and development

Canada's Arctic environment is rich in hydrocarbon resources. As international attention turns to the Arctic to meet global energy demands there is increased recognition of the need to advance upstream impact assessment and decision-making to plan for energy development. There have been several applications of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) over the past decade in the international offshore energy sector; however, SEA remains underdeveloped offshore in comparison to project-based environmental impact assessment and unchartered territory in Canada's Arctic. This paper examines stakeholder perceptions of the opportunities and risks of advancing SEA for offshore energy planning and development in Canada's Beaufort Sea. Results indicate a number of perceived opportunities for SEA, including improved regulatory efficiency, better regional baselines and planning practices, an opportunity to assess cumulative effects, more meaningful project-based assessment, and greater certainty for industry stakeholders. At the same time there are a number of perceived risks, including foregoing anticipated development opportunities, the loss of flexibility in decision making, adding another layer of bureaucracy, and the added uncertainties of a novel approach. The implications of these findings for advancing SEA in the offshore energy sector are discussed.     

Patterns of Gene Expression Variation across Body Parts of the Hydrothermal Vent Shrimp Nautilocaris saintlaurentae

Ocean Science Journal - Since deep-sea hydrothermal vents have been targeted for mining mineral resources, concerns about the potential impacts of mining on vent ecosystems have gradually...     

含月池和输运管的深海采矿船水动力特性研究

深海采矿船是未来人类获取深海矿产资源的重要装备,研究其水动力特性具有重要意义。月池和输运管是影响深海采矿船水动力特性的重要因素。以世界上第一艘超深水采矿船“鹦鹉螺新纪元”号为研究对象,基于三维势流理论,分析月池尺寸、输运管长度及内径对采矿船水运动特性的影响。结果表明：月池开口会使采矿船垂荡、纵荡和纵摇运动出现共振峰,峰值随着开口尺寸的增加而增大,其中垂荡运动峰值可增加将近2倍;输运管的存在会明显改变采矿船横摇运动固有周期,增大垂荡运动峰值,降低横摇运动峰值,对横荡和纵荡运动的影响亦较大,当输运管长度为 5 000 m,内径为0.480 5 m时,横荡和纵荡响应峰值能够达到无输运管时的3倍以上。通过探究月池开孔和输运管不同参数对采矿船运动的影响,为深海采矿船月池和输运管设计提供一定的借鉴和参考。     

Species distribution modelling to support marine conservation planning: The next steps

Species distribution models (SDMs) offer great potential for inclusion into the toolbox of today's marine environmental manager, especially with regard to marine conservation and planning. The application of SDMs in the marine environment over recent years has been varied but there are still relatively few examples in comparison with terrestrial application, and this is especially true in deep-sea marine ecosystems. This short article builds upon two recent review articles concerning the application of species distribution modelling studies in the marine realm, offering additional practical considerations for discussion. Recommendations for progressing the improved application of SDMs to support marine conservation planning are given, including combining model outputs with other data layers, metadata standards and model error. SDMs have both an urgent and long term contribution to make to marine conservation planning globally, and it is hoped that this article, in combination with developing research on marine SDMs, will contribute to some much needed discussion and inform best practice and new research to enable these models to be of greater use to marine managers.     

区域渔业管理组织对脆弱海洋生态系统的保护浅析

21世纪以来底拖网渔业的快速发展给脆弱海洋生态系统（VME）带来极大威胁,导致公海深海渔业发展不可持续以及海洋生物多样性降低。为更好地实现养护海洋渔业资源和保护海洋生物多样性的目标,同时为我国在保护VME以及管理公海深海渔业方面提供参考,文章分析八大区域渔业管理组织（RFMO）针对VME保护采取的系列措施及其保护VME的可行性,针对存在的问题提出对策建议,并对我国在RFMO中保护VME进行展望。研究结果表明：《公海深海渔业管理国际准则》在RFMO保护VME的实践中发挥重要的指导作用;RFMO采取的措施限制深海渔业活动,但为保护VME和养护海洋渔业资源提供重要基础和保障;未来RFMO应加强信息共享和技术合作,发展VME分布预测技术,同时在保护海洋生物多样性方面积极开展双边和多边合作;我国应进一步研究和实践基于生态系统的渔业管理方法,平衡保护与开发利用的关系,积极参与国际渔业管理和VME保护并促进合作,加强南极海域海洋保护区综合治理。     

Research on rotating speed’s influence on performance of Deep-Sea lifting motor pump based on DEM-CFD

Abstract

Metal minerals in deep sea are considered to be the most important mineral resources in the 21st century. With the development of science and technology, deep-sea mining has gained more and more attention, and the pipeline lifting method is the most promising for mining. It is particularly important to use the pump as a key component in the pipeline upgrading. In this paper, the DEM–CFD method is used to study the solid–liquid two-phase fluid flow in the Deep-Sea lifting motor pump. Data about the distribution of pressure on the suction surface and pressure surface as well as the distribution of particles in the pump under different rotation speed can be obtained. Tests verify the efficiency and head of the pump by numerical simulation. It provides a theoretical method for the study of solid–liquid two-phase fluid flow in deep-sea mining.     

Deep-Sea Nodules and Co-rich Mn Crusts

The mining of deep-sea manganese nodules has been a topic of interest since J.L. Mero undertook his preliminary studies in the 1960s to evaluate the prospects for mining deep-sea nodules. Despite the great deal of investment in deep-sea mining over more than 40 years, there has still been no successful attempt to mine the deep-sea nodules on a commercial scale. One of the major problems is that the nodules cannot be brought to the surface with the necessary amounts of recoverable nickel, cobalt and zinc to warrant the initial high investment necessary for this operation. It therefore appears that in the short term, deep-sea manganese and Co-rich Mn crusts will not be mined on a commercial scale in the foreseeable future. Nonetheless, investigations of deep-sea mineral deposits by a number of nations will continue and enable us to understand the deep-sea environment in increasing detail, which is necessary in view of the great extent of the deep oceans which cover an area of about 66% of the Earth's surface.