Three factors have significantly increased the likelihood that manganese nodule and crust resources will be mined in the near future. These are (i) the legal clarification provided by the Law of the Sea Treaty now in full effect, (ii) the rapid economic growth in East Asia and (iii) the sharp rise in world cobalt prices. The Chinese Ocean Mining Company has announced plans that it will begin mining early in the next century. One of the major concerns with this development is the creation of environmental pressures. Current studies suggest that 80% of the environmental effect will be associated with ore processing, particularly tailings disposal. Ongoing research at TUNS and the U. of Hawaii indicates that tailings from the proposed hydrometallurgical processing can be made into useful construction industry products. This work has resulted in various glass, glaze and glass ceramic formulations based upon manganese tailings which exhibit considerable promise.
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