Outer Continental Shelf Hard Minerals Leasing: Economic Feasibility of Mining Blake Plateau Manganese Nodules. Appendix 14

摘要

The study analyzes the economic feasibility of mining Blake Plateau manganese nodules which are located in 600-800 meters water depth about 190-230 miles off the Jacksonville, Florida coast. Chapter 2 describes and analyzes the markets for manganese, nickel, cobalt and copper which provides the information that will be needed to assess the profitability of a Blake Plateau operation. The mining technology, transportation requirements, and processing technology are described in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 contains a discussion of the environmental issues surrounding nodule mining and processing. In Chapter 5 the information from the preceding chapters is used to make estimates of the rates of return for a Blake Plateau project. Chapter 6 contains a speculative analysis of an alternative approach to developing a mine on the Blake Plateau. In Chapter 7 the economic analyses in Chapters 5 and 6 are compared. Under the scenarios described in Chapter 5, indications are that a Blake plateau manganese nodule project is likely to be a marginal investment. Chapter 6 considers the possibility that the nodules might be used directly as catalysts in removing metals and sulfur from petroleum products in a refinery. Under these conditions, it is likely a nodule operation would be profitable.