Seabed Deposit and Underwater Treasure Make Brazil ‘Rich’ in Renewable Energy

Treasure Discovered at the Bottom of the Sea! Bacteria Formed Submarine Reserves of Cobalt, Nickel, Molybdenum, Niobium, Platinum, Titanium, and Tellurium

A study by USP reveals bacteria and archaea involved in the nutrient cycle and the generation of elements such as manganese, cobalt, nickel, molybdenum, niobium, platinum, titanium, and tellurium in the Rio Grande Elevation.

Read Also

• Raízen Opens 141 Job Vacancies to Work at Ethanol Refineries in São Paulo and Other Brazilian States on This Day, May 17
• Coca Cola, the Largest Non-Alcoholic Beverage Producer, Calls for Hundreds of Job Vacancies in Its Factories in SP, RJ, MG, RS, and More
• Mixing Biodiesel with Diesel Oil Can Damage Engines and Increase Fuel Prices, Say Entities Representing Over 200,000 Companies in the Sector
• Brand Loyalty at Fuel Stations Will End, and Fuel Delivery Sales Will Be Allowed; Measure Could Reduce Gasoline Prices by Up to 50 Cents per Liter!

The deposits found are in an area known as the Rio Grande Elevation. The region is located in international waters, but Brazil obtained permission from the International Seabed Authority (affiliated with the UN) to study its potential for 15 years.

In the coming decades, the world may witness a rush for minerals, especially those used in rechargeable batteries and high-efficiency energy generation cells, substitutes for fossil fuels that cause global warming. This is the case for cobalt and tellurium found in the Rio Grande Elevation.

Submarine Treasure Area Found Is Three Times the Size of the State of Rio de Janeiro

The submarine treasure found by oceanographers is located 1,500 kilometers from the Brazilian coast. The area where the deposit is located is three times the size of the state of Rio de Janeiro, and the “treasures” are at depths ranging from 800 to 3,000 meters.

According to USP, the deposit formed during the separation of the supercontinent Gondwana (which gave rise to Africa and South America); the Rio Grande Elevation was an island that sank 40 million years ago due to the weight of volcanic lava and the movement of tectonic plates.

Brazil requested from the UN, in 2018, the expansion of its continental shelf to include the Rio Grande Elevation in the country’s exclusive maritime zone. The discovery was recently published by the journal Microbial Ecology and received financial support from the São Paulo Research Foundation. Additionally, the expeditions were aboard the RRS Discovery, a vessel of the British royalty.

There Are Only Four Areas on the Planet with Similar Potential

It is important to highlight that the feasibility of future exploration of these minerals will depend on further research development.

There are other areas on the planet that also have similar potential. We can mention the Clipperton Fracture and the Takuyo-Daigo Seamount, both in the North Pacific, as well as the Tropic Seamount in the North Atlantic.

References for consultation:

• Study on the Rio Grande Elevation Provides Information to Understand How the Separation of the Brazilian and African Continents Occurred (cprm.gov.br)
• Minerals | Free Full-Text | Genesis and Evolution of Ferromanganese Crusts from the Summit of Rio Grande Rise, Southwest Atlantic Ocean (mdpi.com)
• Frontiers | An Overview of Seabed Mining Including the Current State of Development, Environmental Impacts, and Knowledge Gaps | Marine Science (frontiersin.org)
• MarineE-tech | MarineE-tech (noc.ac.uk)