Why are we sending critical metals to the dump? | Jeff More

Summary

Episode Summary: "Why are we sending critical metals to the dump?" | Jeff Moore

Podcast: TED Talks Daily
Host/Author: TED
Episode Title: Why are we sending critical metals to the dump?
Speaker: Geoff Moore
Release Date: April 9, 2025

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of TED Talks Daily, Jeff Moore delves into the paradoxical world of mining, highlighting its essential role in the clean energy transition and the simultaneous issue of massive waste production. Delivered at TED Countdown's Dilemma event in Brussels in 2024, Moore presents an insightful analysis of how innovative technologies can revolutionize mining practices to meet global demand sustainably.

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The Crucial Role of Copper in Modern Society

Moore begins by emphasizing the indispensable nature of mining, particularly focusing on copper—a metal so vital that entire historical eras, like the Bronze Age, were named after it.

"So, the first metal that humankind figured out how to transform into something useful was copper. As we advanced technologically, copper became known as the industrial metal."
— Geoff Moore [02:53]

He underscores copper's foundational role in everyday technologies:

"Without copper, we'd have no lights in this auditorium, smartphones would not exist, and that machine that your favorite barista uses to make your favorite cup of coffee would not be possible."
— Geoff Moore [02:53]

Moreover, Moore links copper directly to the clean energy sector, citing its critical use in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar power systems. He points out that these sustainable technologies require significantly more copper than the non-sustainable alternatives they aim to replace, leading to a skyrocketing demand.

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The Growing Demand and Supply Shortage

Highlighting the pressing issue, Moore presents alarming statistics about copper production and future shortages:

"Today, globally, we produce 22 million tons of copper per year. By 2050, there'll be a supply shortage of 19 million tons, almost equal to today's total production."
— Geoff Moore [04:10]

He further illustrates the immediate challenge:

"If we look out just six years to 2030, that shortage is predicted to be 4 million tonnes."
— Geoff Moore [04:20]

With approximately 250 operating copper mines worldwide, meeting this demand would require building 50 new mines within six years—a feat rendered impossible by the typical 15-year development timeline for new mining projects.

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The Wasteful Nature of Traditional Mining

Moore sheds light on the inefficiencies inherent in conventional mining practices. Taking the Chuquicamata mine in northern Chile as a case study, he reveals that over half of the excavated material ends up in waste dumps, with a significant portion of valuable copper discarded:

"Over half of it ends up in the waste dump. And this is where the problem is. In all that rock piled up, there's a lot of good copper that was thrown away in error and wasted."
— Geoff Moore [06:10]

This waste represents a missed opportunity to bridge the looming supply gap without the environmental and economic costs of establishing new mines.

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Innovative Technological Solutions: ShovelSense

Addressing the waste issue, Moore introduces ShovelSense, a groundbreaking system developed by Minesense that transforms traditional mining equipment into intelligent, data-driven tools. This technology enables miners to discern between waste rock and valuable copper in real time, significantly reducing waste and enhancing efficiency.

Overcoming Initial Challenges

The journey to developing ShovelSense was fraught with challenges. Moore recounts the initial failure due to underestimating the equipment's durability requirements:

"Our first installation lasted eight minutes. Everything broke. Everything broke. Turns out it's not 50G, it's actually 400G. Oops."
— Geoff Moore [05:35]

Despite early setbacks, persistent engineering efforts over five years led to a robust solution that now withstands the harsh conditions of mining operations.

Impact and Adoption

Since its implementation, ShovelSense has demonstrated substantial benefits:

"By applying this technology, we're increasing copper production at operating mines by between 5 and 30%. That's massive."
— Geoff Moore [07:15]

This increase not only augments production but also contributes to environmental sustainability by reducing electricity and water consumption. Furthermore, ShovelSense's applicability extends beyond copper to other essential metals like nickel, iron, zinc, and cobalt—each pivotal for the clean energy transition.

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Future Outlook and Global Expansion

Looking ahead, Moore shares optimistic projections for ShovelSense's impact:

"We believe that we'll be able to produce 2 million tons of extra copper by 2030. Or in other words, fill half of that supply shortage."
— Geoff Moore [07:55]

He highlights the scalability of the technology, currently operating in 15 mines across South and North America, and outlines plans for global expansion. Each ShovelSense installation has the potential to produce enough incremental copper to manufacture approximately 15,000 Tesla Model 3s, showcasing the technology's profound influence on both the mining industry and sustainable manufacturing.

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Conclusion

Moore concludes by reiterating the significance of minimizing waste in mining operations to support the global demand for critical metals sustainably:

"It all comes down to not wasting what is already there."
— Geoff Moore [08:20]

He leaves the audience with a heartfelt acknowledgment of miners' hard work and dedication:

"If you happen to run into a miner, please give them a big hug."
— Geoff Moore [08:29]

This poignant request underscores the human element behind the technological advancements and the collective effort required to navigate the challenges of the clean energy transition.

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Final Thoughts

Jeff Moore's insightful presentation sheds light on the intricate balance between meeting the world's growing demand for critical metals and preserving environmental integrity. Through innovative solutions like ShovelSense, the mining industry can pivot towards more sustainable practices, ensuring that essential metals are utilized efficiently without contributing to unnecessary waste. This talk not only underscores the urgency of addressing resource shortages but also celebrates the ingenuity and resilience of those spearheading transformative change in mining.

Transcript

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You're listening to TED Talks Daily where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. Mining is a controversial topic. It's crucial for the supply of metals needed in the clean energy transition, but it's also hugely wasteful. In his 2024 talk, Wasteless Miner Geoff Moore shares that the solution lies in the waste dump. He lays out how new technology is helping mines meet supply demands and become more sustainable, all by not wasting what's already there that's coming up.

[Geoff Moore]

So this is the truth about mining. It's an absolutely essential industry. In fact, we've even named historical ages after the metals that are produced by mining. So, for example, take the Bronze Age. Now, bronze is actually 90% copper, so I think maybe some unfair branding. It should have been the Copper Age. But the only thing that happened before the Bronze Age was the Stone Age, when basically the level of our material science consisted of looking for a nice rock to pick up and smash something with. So the first metal that humankind figured out how to transform into something useful was copper. As we advanced technologically, copper became known as the industrial metal. It typically works behind the scenes, but it is critical. Just as some examples, without copper, we'd have no lights in this auditorium, smartphones would not exist, and that machine that your favorite barista uses to make your favorite cup of coffee would not be possible. I know that last one was really scary. I'm sorry if I took it too far. Now, here's actually the real important part. Here are other things that are not possible about copper. Electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar power. In fact, these critical technologies use a lot more copper and other metals than the traditional non sustainable technologies that they're replacing. This means the demand is growing dramatically to the point that miners are not sure how they're actually going to meet that demand. Today, Globally, we produce 22 million tons of copper per year. Your forecasters are correct. By 2050, there'll be a supply shortage of 19 million tons, almost equal to today's total production. If we look out just six years to 2030, that shortage is predicted to be 4 million tonnes. Now, to put that into perspective, Today there's about 250 operating copper mines in the world. That would require 50 new mines to be built in the next six years. Even if we could find that many new potential mines, a mine typically takes about 15 years to develop into production. So filling the gap with new mines is literally impossible. We need other solutions and we need them now. So here's another truth about mining. It's traditionally very wasteful. The mine called Chuquicamata, it's in northern Chile, in a region that I spend a lot of time in, that produces about a third of the world's copper. The problem that we have here is that all that material gets dug up. Over half of it ends up in the waste dump. And this is where the problem is. It in all that rock piled up, there's a lot of good Copper that was thrown away in error and wasted. Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to meet that demand by simply wasting less of what we're already mining? Well, there is. Let me explain. Miners, of course, want to find and process as much copper as possible, but they lack data. Traditionally, there's been no way to actually see inside the rock as they're digging it out of the ground. That massive shovel digs out the rock after it's been blasted. And here is where the most important decision in the entire mining process has to be made. Does that mine rock get put on a truck to be processed and turned into copper that the world needs, or does it go on a truck to be hauled to the waste dump, never to be seen again? And this is where new technology comes in. Part of a system called ShovelSense that essentially turns this dumb loading instrument into a smart measurement device. By taking delicate equipment that literally sees inside the rock as it tumbles into the bucket, and combining that with AI, we can create data that's never been available before and allow the miner to make better decisions. Now, this wasn't easy. This had never been done before. I think, frankly, nobody was crazy enough to try it. So there was no spec that we had. So we went with the toughest spec, which is military spec for shock. That's 50G. And our engineering team determined that our hardware would last eight years, which sounded pretty reasonable. Our first installation lasted eight minutes. Everything broke. Everything broke. Turns out it's not 50G, it's actually 400G. Oops. But in the last five years, we figured out how to make this not break. And we're growing rapidly in the market. By applying this technology, we're increasing copper production at operating mines by between 5 and 30%. That's massive. And this is the future of mining because it also means that these mines are using less electricity and less water. And it's not just copper. It also works for other metals like nickel, iron, zinc, even cobalt. All metals that we need for the clean energy transition. At Minesense, though, we did start with copper. We're currently operating at 15 mines in south and North America, and we have already increased copper production by the equivalent of one whole new mine. But we did that in two years, not the 15 years it would take to have built that new mine. For every shovel sense that we install, we produce enough incremental copper to build 15,000 Tesla Model 3s. And we are expanding globally, and we're growing rapidly. We believe that we'll be able to produce 2 million tons of extra copper by 2030. Or in other words, fill half of that supply shortage. And it all comes down to not wasting what is already there. Thank you. And if you happen to run into a miner, please give them a big hug.

[Elise Hu]

That was Jeff Moore at TED Countdown's Dilemma event in Brussels in 2024. If you're curious about TED's curation, find out [e-mail] curationguidelines and that's it for today's show. TED Talks Daily is part of the TED Audio Collective. This episode was produced and edited by our team, Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Brian Greene, Lucy Little, Alejandra Salazar and Tonsika Sarmarnivon. It was mixed by Christopher Faizy Bogan. Additional support from Emma Tobner and Daniela Ballarezzo. I'm Elise Hu. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for your feed. Thanks for listening.

[Geoff Moore]

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