C Shivakumar
Chennai:
National Institute of Ocean Technology is developing crawler to take up underwater sea mining below 6,000 metre, according to Union secretary of Earth Sciences Ministry Shailesh Nayak.
Nayak told Express that NIOT is developing a crawler for polymetallic nodule mining from 6000m water depth.
Polymetallic nodules’ contain cobalt, copper, manganese and nickel, in addition to small amounts of aluminium iron and rare metals such as molybdenum, tellurium and titanium.
“We already have under-water mining system for 1100 metres and NIOT is developing the crawler to mine 6,000 metre below the sea. This is likely to take two to three years,” Nayak said.
NIOT is also simultaneously developing collector and crusher system for manganese nodule mining. He said the entire structure is indigenously developed.
Interestingly, high demand for metals has fueled interest in deep ocean mining as land based resources get stretched and need increases in nations which has growing economies
Nayak also said that with the dwindling of beaches in Pondycherry, NIOT has started a study on how to resurrect the beaches in the union territory.”We are examining how beach erosion could be arrested,” he said.
The initiatives could include artificial offshore reefs, groynes and other tools, he added.
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