Hear all about ocean-based metals from the Chairman and CEO of The Metals Company, Gerard Barron.
On episode 207 of The Green Insider, you will learn how nickel sulfate, cobalt sulfate, copper, and manganese are mined from the bottom of the ocean. The Metals Company lifts the polymetallic nodules to the surface, takes them to shore, and processes them with near-zero solid waste, no tailings or deforestation, and with careful attention not to harm the integrity of the deep-ocean ecosystem.
The ESG footprint of battery production is now firmly in the spotlight and a recent Benchmark study found that producing nickel, copper and cobalt from nodules would outperform key land-based production across almost every impact category analyzed, lowering emissions by 70-80% on average. Four metals in high grades means roughly 4X less material needs to be processed for the same amount of metal and no toxic levels of heavy elements means the entirety of a nodule can be used, making near zero-solid-waste production possible.
Their mission is to build a carefully managed metal commons that will be used, recovered, and reused again and again.
More on Gerard Barron:
Gerard Barron has agreed to serve as TMC’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors upon the closing of the Business Combination. He was nominated to serve as a member of the TMC board of directors upon the closing of the Business Combination. Mr. Barron became involved in the early strategic development and financing of DeepGreen during its formation in 2011 and stepped into the role of DeepGreen’s Chairman and CEO in 2018.
About The Metals Company
The Metals Company is developing the world’s largest estimated source of battery metals, with enough nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese to electrify the entire U.S. passenger vehicle fleet.
Their aim is to supply the low-impact metals necessary to store clean energy and power electric vehicles, and to in turn create a closed-loop system—a world where metals are not mined and dumped, but rented and returned. These metals can make electric car batteries—as well as for renewable energy storage, wind turbines and solar panels-we can dramatically reduce environmental and social impacts for the whole planet. TMC’s plan is simple and attainable: supply the necessary metals with the least possible impact, building enough metal stock to stop extracting from the planet and enabling society to live off recycled metals.
The Metals Company was formed through the merger of DeepGreen Metals Inc. with the Sustainable Opportunities Acquisition Corporation.
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