DEEP SEA MINING
robots via computers on deck and managed by people in a control room – virtual technology is taken on very quickly and the chances of injury are much , much less .”
Rock is disaggregated using two large machines and then a third collecting machine sends the material as seawater slurry to the surface where it is sieved in a similar way to on land . After this , the filtered seawater is returned by two smaller pipes to the same place on the sea floor to minimise the ecological impact . The returned water also powers the hydraulic pumps .
Deep sea mining vs terrestrial mining : what ’ s the difference ?
While there are some similarities between terrestrial and deep sea mining , mainly around materials handling , Mike says that in many ways some of their techniques have more in common with drilling for oil or gas .
“ At the depths we work , everything has to be done remotely using
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