CO2-assisted in-situ leaching for carbon-negative mining: From uranium to other critical minerals

CO2-assisted in-situ leaching for carbon-negative mining: From uranium to other critical minerals

Dr. Estibalitz (Esti) Ukar from the University of Texas at Austin investigates CO2-assisted in-situ leaching for carbon-negative mining of uranium and other critical minerals. Mining accounts for an estimated 4-7% of global greenhouse gas emissions. As demand for nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), lithium (Li), and rare earth elements (REE) continues to grow, the mining industry faces a fundamental challenge: how can we produce more minerals without proportionally increasing the associated environmental footprint? One potential answer lies in CO2-assisted in-situ leaching (CO2-ISL), or solution mining, in which carbon dioxide is injected underground to help dissolve and extract target metals directly from the orebody, without bringing the rock to the surface. In this sense, CO2-ISL can be viewed as a mineral-recovery analog of CO2-enhanced oil recovery (EOR).