Mining plays a critical part in the transition to renewable energy, and the two go hand-in-hand. Renewable energy relies on mined resources, specifically green minerals, otherwise known as battery metals, for both collection and storage of useable energy.
Battery metals
The development and use of renewable energy systems, such as solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cells, will minimize greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change. But creating these systems on the scale of increasing demand will require increasing amounts of battery metals.
Battery metals are mined materials essential to the manufacture of batteries and/or the storage of energy. These materials are crucial to decarbonizing transportation and any widespread transition to renewable energy — which means the success of renewable energy initiatives relies, in large part, on the mining of essential metals, including lithium, nickel, aluminum, copper, zinc, silicon, graphite, manganese, cobalt, and rare earth metals.
As renewable energy initiatives expand on a global scale, these metals — particularly lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, and manganese — will continue to be in high demand, which makes sustainable mining a priority for many countries with large deposits of these “green minerals.”
Green minerals
Lithium and nickel mining are a focal point for renewable energy resources. Lithium is primarily used for energy storage in the form of lithium-ion batteries. Current demand is high, with lithium valued at more than $400,000 per metric ton.
While lithium-ion batteries are used for storing renewable energy for a variety of purposes, nickel batteries are in high demand for use in electric vehicles. Producers of electric vehicles are looking for opportunities to invest in nickel mining. Nickel is currently valued at over $20,000 per metric ton.
Sustainable slurry and non-slurry pumps
Sustainable mining starts with sustainably manufactured equipment that can handle a variety of mining conditions, is easy to maintain, and can provide a long wear life. KSB offers three GIW® slurry pump ranges and a vast range of water extraction, transport and chemical process pumps well suited for the sustainable mining of battery metals.
For low to nonabrasive slurries, the GIW® LCC-M can be easily dismantled for on-site service and maintenance. The GIW® LSA is engineered to handle severe slurries, and the GIW® MDX — among the largest slurry pumps on the market — is designed for extremely abrasive, “aggressive” slurries and boasts an extraordinarily long service life.
The KSB UPA is capable of pumping corrosive materials from below ground level. The KSB Dewatering and Dredge Pump sets (DnD) can transfer aggressive mine water above ground level. For water transport, KSB’s range of volute casing pumps (Omega, RDLO & RDLP) can be easily dismantled for on-site service and maintenance.
For chemical processing, KSB’s MegaCPK offers absolute reliability and zero leakage – regardless of whether the fluids being handled are aggressive, corrosive or explosive.
There are a wide range of products on offer from KSB, that are optimised to work together. Within battery metal mining, KSB products are employed in extraction ponds, transfer stations and processing plants.
Sustainable mining for renewable energy
Minerals, like lithium and nickel, are crucial to the production and storage of clean energy, and sustainable mining is essential to the responsible retrieval of these critical resources.
KSB is committed to the ongoing research and development of all KSB products, to ensure when products and technologies are improved and developed, they are contributing to all areas of sustainable mining.
As energy needs change, the demand for certain materials may shift, KSB’s R&D team continues to keep KSB at the forefront of an ever-changing market. Providing solutions to the renewable energy market that are ecologically responsible and sustainable.
