It was reported on August 24 that Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) has extracted oceanic crust samples from seabeds containing nickel and cobalt deposits.
JOGMEC, a state-backed organization, conducted excavation tests on the marine resources research ship Hakurei in July, extracting 649 kilograms of sand and rocks from the cobalt-rich crust on the seabed of Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
The ship is exploring the oceanic crust of Takuyo No. 5, about 400 kilometers east of Tokyo. The crust contains manganese oxides up to 10 cm thick and covers the base rock from the top of the mountain to the slope of the seamount. , The water depth is about 800~2,400 meters.
JOGMEC first crushes the sample shell, separates and removes the base rock, then melts it in a high-temperature furnace to concentrate the metal content, and extracts cobalt, nickel and copper from it with a chemical solution.
Now, the agency will work on a new excavator specially designed to dig the crust and analyze the results.
According to JOGMEC's estimation, the cobalt contained in the crust of Takuyang Seamount is sufficient to meet Japan's demand for 88 years, and nickel is also sufficient for Japan's demand for 12 years.
