Researchers at the Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials in London are searching for ways to meet the global demand for copper while minimising environmental harm.
Copper is an invaluable metal for global infrastructure, used in electrical wiring, plumbing and industrial machinery.
It also plays a role in our move towards net zero as part of electrical vehicle production and solar panels, for instance.
A study published last year found that renewable energy’s copper needs would outstrip what copper mines can produce at the current rate. Between 2018 and 2050, the world will need to mine 115% more copper than has been mined in all of human history just to meet current copper needs, even without considering the green energy transition.
But copper mining has a huge environmental impact as it contributes to deforestation, water pollution in nearby rivers and soil contamination from the use of acids, as well as air pollution from carbon emissions.
In December 2024, global mining company Rio...