England is the first country to claim an incredible discovery in dormant volcanoes that could change the fate of mankind

The UK is banking on dormant volcanoes for sustainable metal extraction.

British scientists are exploring the depths of dormant volcanoes to extract essential battery metals and energy, promising a revolution in global mining practices.

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Volcanoes: An unexpected source of energy and metals

In the heart of the Caribbean on the island of Montserrat, a team of Oxford University researchers is exploring a dormant volcano that may hold the key to a clean industrial revolution. Unconcerned about its next eruption, the team focused on geofluids, liquids rich in essential metals that seep beneath the volcano's surface.

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A revolutionary approach to metal extraction

Traditional metal mining is a significant source of pollution and greenhouse gases, accounting for 4 to 7% of global emissions. Jonathan Plundy, professor of geosciences at Oxford, is leading an initiative to develop a method to extract metals directly from these volcanic fluids, thereby reducing the environmental impact associated with conventional methods.

Benefits of Reset Program

Oxford's RESET (Research into Sustainable Extraction Technology) program is more than just scientific research. It represents the quest to replace the extraction of metals such as copper, lithium and gold by exploiting the natural resources of volcanoes without disturbing the ecological balance. This approach would also generate geothermal energy using the volcano's internal heat.

Access to geofluids: an underutilized energy potential

Geofluids, once accessible, offer a dual opportunity: extraction of metals in the liquid phase and production of geothermal energy. The latter, integrated with the green energy mix, can provide higher amounts of energy than that obtained by traditional geothermal technologies.

Technical issues and challenges

By drilling around the Montserrat volcano, the Oxford team hopes to define a method that can be applied to other volcanic sites. However, they acknowledge that the technology is still in its infancy and the results of their research are unlikely to be immediately available.

A sustainable model for the future

In addition to significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the envisioned technology will return extracted fluids to the soil, making the extraction process greener than polluting. The ReSET team, made up of geologists, chemists, historians, lawyers and economists, is working to develop a sustainable and equitable extraction system.

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This article examines a pioneering effort by British researchers to use the resources of dormant volcanoes in a sustainable manner. By using geofluids to extract metals and produce energy, they envision a radical transformation of mining practices, contributing to a green energy transition and reducing the environmental impact of natural resource exploitation.

Source: The Independent