TED - Why Are We Sending Critical Metals to the Dump? | Jeff More | TED
Mining is a crucial industry, historically defining entire ages like the Bronze Age, which was largely dependent on copper. Copper remains vital today, powering technologies like electric vehicles and renewable energy systems. However, the demand for copper is outpacing supply, with a predicted shortage of 19 million tons by 2050. Traditional mining is wasteful, discarding valuable copper in waste dumps. New technology, such as ShovelSense, addresses this by using AI and sensors to analyze rock content in real-time, allowing for better decision-making and reducing waste. This innovation has increased copper production by 5-30% at existing mines, effectively adding the output of a new mine in just two years. ShovelSense also reduces the environmental impact by using less electricity and water, and it is applicable to other metals needed for clean energy transitions. MineSense, the company behind ShovelSense, aims to produce an additional two million tons of copper by 2030, addressing half of the projected supply shortage.
Key Points:
- Mining is essential for modern technology, especially copper for electric vehicles and renewable energy.
- Current copper demand is outstripping supply, with a predicted shortage of 19 million tons by 2050.
- Traditional mining is wasteful, discarding valuable copper in waste dumps.
- ShovelSense technology uses AI to analyze rock content, increasing copper production by 5-30%.
- MineSense aims to produce two million extra tons of copper by 2030, addressing half of the supply shortage.
Details:
1. 🛠️ The Historical Significance of Mining
- Mining has been a crucial industry throughout human history, pivotal in the development of civilizations.
- Historical eras, such as the Bronze Age, are often named after the metals they produced, underscoring mining's significance.
- The Bronze Age, closely associated with copper due to the composition of bronze (90% copper), highlights the transformative impact of mining on societal development.
- In ancient times, mining enabled the creation of tools, weapons, and ornaments, which facilitated advancements in technology and culture.
- Mining not only provided essential materials but also drove technological innovation and economic growth.
- The extraction and processing of metals like copper were foundational to early trade and economic systems, illustrating mining's role in shaping economic history.
2. 🔌 Copper: The Unsung Hero of Modern Technology
- Copper was the first metal transformed by humans into something useful, marking the transition from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age.
- Copper is known as the 'industrial metal' due to its critical, yet often behind-the-scenes, role in modern technology.
- Copper is essential for the functioning of electrical systems, as evidenced by its necessity for lighting in auditoriums.
- The existence of smartphones relies on copper, highlighting its importance in communication technology.
- Copper is integral to the operation of coffee machines, demonstrating its role in everyday consumer appliances.
- Copper is vital in renewable energy technologies, such as solar panels and wind turbines, due to its excellent electrical conductivity.
- Electric vehicles utilize significant amounts of copper for their batteries and wiring, underscoring its importance in sustainable transportation.
3. ⚡ Rising Demand and Supply Challenges for Copper
- Demand for copper is soaring due to its critical role in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar power, replacing traditional technologies.
- With current global production at 22 million tons per year, there is a projected supply gap of 4 million tons by 2030, escalating to a 19 million ton shortage by 2050, nearly equal to today's total production.
- To meet the 2030 demand, 50 new copper mines would need to be operational within six years, highlighting the urgency given that it typically takes 15 years to develop a mine.
- Relying solely on new mines is not viable; alternative solutions and innovations are crucial to address the impending shortage.
4. ♻️ Mining Waste and the Need for Innovation
- Mining operations are traditionally very wasteful, with a significant portion of materials extracted ending up in waste dumps.
- At the Chuquicamata mine in northern Chile, which contributes about a third of the world's copper, over half of the material dug from the ground ends up in waste dumps.
- The scale of waste dumps is enormous, as exemplified by a Canadian mine where massive equipment, dwarfed by waste piles, highlights the scale of discarded material.
- A significant amount of valuable resources, like copper, is wasted due to current mining practices, pointing to a need for innovative methods to reduce waste.
- The potential exists to meet copper demand more efficiently by reducing the waste created during mining operations.
- Innovative methods such as reprocessing waste to extract remaining copper and implementing technologies for more precise extraction are being explored.
- Case studies, such as the introduction of AI in sorting materials, have shown a reduction in waste by 30%, showcasing the success of innovation in this sector.
5. 🤖 ShovelSense: Revolutionizing the Mining Process
- Traditional mining processes lack real-time insights into the composition of rocks during excavation, leading to inefficiencies and potential errors in material processing.
- The initial decision-making step in mining—determining whether to process or discard mined rock—is critical to operational efficiency but has traditionally relied on limited data and human judgment.
- ShovelSense technology digitizes shovels by integrating them with advanced sensors and AI capabilities, allowing real-time visualization and analysis of rock composition as it is excavated.
- This smart integration enables miners to make data-driven decisions on-site, potentially increasing processing accuracy and reducing waste.
- The adoption of ShovelSense aims to enhance operational efficiency and resource management by providing actionable insights that were previously unavailable in the mining process.
6. 🚀 The Impact and Future of ShovelSense Technology
- Initially, ShovelSense hardware failed due to an underestimation of the required shock resistance, designed for 50 G but needing 400 G, resulting in only eight minutes of durability instead of eight years.
- Over five years, significant improvements were made, increasing copper production by 5% to 30% in operational mines, reducing electricity and water usage.
- ShovelSense technology operates in 15 mines across the Americas, increasing copper production equivalent to one new mine within two years, compared to the typical 15-year timeframe for building a new mine.
- Each ShovelSense installation yields enough additional copper to build 15,000 Tesla Model 3s, showcasing substantial production efficiency and support for clean energy initiatives.
- The company aims to produce two million tons of extra copper by 2030, addressing half of the projected supply shortage and significantly contributing to sustainability efforts.
7. ❤️ Appreciating Miners and Their Contribution
- The segment emphasizes the critical importance of not wasting existing resources, promoting a sustainable approach to resource management.
- It urges viewers to appreciate the hard work and dedication of miners by suggesting personal gestures of appreciation as a way to acknowledge their contributions.
- To enhance the appreciation for miners, viewers are encouraged to learn more about the mining process and its challenges, fostering a deeper understanding and respect for the industry.
- The discussion highlights the broader impact of mining on everyday life, reminding viewers of the essential role miners play in providing materials that are foundational to modern conveniences.