How Your Junk Is Finding New Life Powering the Electric Era

Summary

WSJ Tech News Briefing: How Your Junk Is Finding New Life Powering the Electric Era
Release Date: November 21, 2024
Host: Bel Lin
Reported by: Ryan December

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1. Introduction to the Episode

In this episode of WSJ Tech News Briefing, host Bel Lin delves into two pivotal topics shaping the tech landscape: the TSA's latest facial recognition program and the innovative methods mining giant Glencore employs to source copper from electronic waste. These discussions highlight advancements in security technology and sustainable resource management, respectively.

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2. TSA’s Facial Recognition Program

Overview of the New Program

Bel Lin opens the segment by introducing a groundbreaking TSA initiative aimed at streamlining the airport security process. The program leverages facial recognition technology to verify travelers' identities, eliminating the need for traditional ID checks such as driver's licenses.

Detailed Discussion with Alison Poley

Timestamp [01:19] – James Rundle, WSJ’s correspondent, converses with reporter Alison Poley about the benefits and mechanics of the TSA's new program.

• Security Enhancements: Alison explains that the TSA touts the program as more secure because it uses preloaded, government-approved photos from passports or Global Entry profiles. This pre-verification ensures that only vetted individuals can access expedited security lanes.

  "This identity verification is based on either someone's passport photo or perhaps their Global Entry picture... it is more secure and TSA says makes things more efficient as well."
  [01:23] – Alison Poley

• Efficiency Gains: The new facial recognition system significantly reduces processing time. Alison notes that the average verification takes 6 to 8 seconds, compared to the existing 18 to 20 seconds with TSA PreCheck.

  "So TSA says that it takes an average of six to eight seconds... Regular TSA Pre check takes 18 to 20 seconds to pass through."
  [02:09] – Alison Poley

Privacy and Civil Liberties Considerations

The conversation shifts to address concerns from privacy advocates regarding the use of facial recognition technology.

• Opt-In Nature: Alison emphasizes that participation is entirely voluntary. Travelers must already be part of a trusted traveler program, having submitted their information to the government beforehand.

  "They've already given their identity related to their traveler profile to the government... it's a totally opt in process which makes people feel more comfortable with it."
  [02:39] – Alison Poley

• Data Storage: It's clarified that biometric data is stored securely with the government, not with the airlines, alleviating some privacy concerns.

  "The biometric data isn't being stored with the airlines, it's being stored with the government."
  [03:28] – Alison Poley

Implementation and Future Expansion

Alison details the current scope and future plans for the program.

• Current Availability: The facial recognition program is active at nine major airports, including DCA, LAX, Chicago's O'Hare, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, and Detroit, with airlines like Delta and United initially onboard.

  "It's at DCA, LAX, Chicago's O'Hare, Atlanta, Salt Lake City and Detroit."
  [03:45] – Alison Poley

• Future Plans: United plans to extend the program to multi-party reservations shortly, while Alaska and American Airlines are expected to integrate the technology in the upcoming months.

  "Alaska and American Airlines expect to be able to offer this to their travelers in the coming months."
  [04:43] – Alison Poley

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3. Copper Mining from Electronic Waste by Glencore

Rising Demand for Copper

Bel Lin transitions to the second major topic: the escalating demand for copper driven by the shift towards renewable energy and the data boom. Copper's essential role in electric vehicles, infrastructure, and electronics makes it a critical resource for the electric era.

Insights from Ryan December’s Investigation

Timestamp [06:32] – Ryan December, WSJ reporter, explores how Glencore is addressing the copper supply gap by sourcing it from electronic waste.

• Copper’s Longevity and Recycling: Ryan highlights that unlike commodities like oil or wheat, copper is perennial—it does not decompose and remains in circulation. This characteristic makes recycled copper a valuable resource.

  "Copper never goes away. It's always there... but there's a lot of it in the trash and junkyards."
  [06:32] – Ryan December

• Economic and Logistical Advantages: Extracting copper from e-waste is often more feasible and quicker than developing new geological mines, which can take decades from discovery to production. High copper prices incentivize the recovery of copper from discarded electronics and vehicles.

  "When the price is high enough to go back into the landfills and get that out... it's actual easier... than to get a new geologic mine."
  [07:20] – Ryan December

Glencore’s Operations in Quebec

Ryan provides an on-the-ground perspective from a visit to Glencore’s historic smelter in Quebec.

• Facility Overview: The 97-year-old smelter, located deep in the Quebec taiga, processes copper concentrate and e-waste. Despite the mine ceasing operations in the 1970s, the smelter remains active by sourcing copper from global deposits and recycled materials.

  "It's a 97 year old copper smelter... They bring copper concentrate from all over the world... and they've always augmented it since the copper mine ran out with electronics."
  [08:20] – Ryan December

• Processing Techniques: The facility handles a mix of traditional copper concentrates and recycled electronic waste. The chief metallurgist continuously manages the chemical processes to effectively extract copper from diverse and complex waste materials.

  "They have a chief metallurgist... balancing all day long this chemical reaction... to compensate for things that add heat to the fire or change the chemistry."
  [09:00] – Ryan December

• Recycling Initiatives: Glencore has implemented strategies to collect a wide range of electronic waste, from small items like old phone cords to large shipments from electronics manufacturers. The smelter also features collection points for the local community to contribute their discarded electronics.

  "They even have a collection box out front for the town's... old wires and their broken toasters and their, you know, old cell phones."
  [10:14] – Ryan December

Future of Copper Recycling

Bel Lin probes into the future sustainability and scalability of copper recycling.

• Increasing Recycling Efforts: Ryan anticipates that as copper become scarcer and more expensive through traditional mining, the reliance on recycled materials will grow. New facilities in the U.S. by German firms and recent acquisitions by Glencore in Arkansas signify a broader industry shift towards recycling.

  "As copper concentrate becomes harder to get and more expensive... you're going to see more recycled material going in."
  [11:06] – Ryan December

• Economic Viability: The expansion of recycling facilities indicates that sourcing copper from e-waste is becoming more economically viable, addressing both supply challenges and environmental concerns associated with traditional mining.

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4. Conclusion

The episode of WSJ Tech News Briefing effectively underscores the intersection of technology and sustainability. The TSA's adoption of facial recognition technology exemplifies advancements in security and efficiency, while Glencore's innovative approach to copper recycling highlights a pragmatic response to the resource demands of the electric era. These developments not only reflect current trends but also set the stage for future technological and environmental strategies.

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Notable Quotes:

• "This identity verification is based on either someone's passport photo or perhaps their Global Entry picture." – Alison Poley [01:23]

• "Copper never goes away. It's always there." – Ryan December [06:32]

• "As copper concentrate becomes harder to get and more expensive... you're going to see more recycled material going in." – Ryan December [11:06]

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Produced by: Julie Chang
Supervising Producer: Katherine Millsop
Host: Bel Lin

Transcript

[Viking Narrator]

Viking committed to exploring the world in comfort. Journey through the heart of Europe on an elegant Viking longship with thoughtful service, cultural enrichment and all inclusive fares.

[Bel Lin]

Discover [e-mail] welcome to Tech News Briefing. It's Thursday, November 21st. I'm Bel Lin for the Wall Street Journal. The TSA is offering a new program that allows travelers to use their faces for identity verific at the airport, no driver's license required. We'll find out how the program works and how you can sign up. And then one of the world's biggest miners is digging into junk drawers and landfills to source the copper needed for the energy transition and data boom. Our reporter Ryan Zember tells us how electronic trash is being turned into treasure. But first, a new TSA program now available at nine nationwide airports, allows travelers to use facial recognition tech to zip through security checkpoints. WSJ's James Rundle spoke with our reporter Alison Poley about the program and privacy considerations around the tech. Here's their conversation.

[James Rundle]

What are the benefits that the TSA is touting for people who sign up?

[Alison Poley]

They say it's more secure from their standpoint because they are able to do the identity verification based on preloaded information that already exists. So for example, this identity verification is based on either someone's passport photo or perhaps their Global entry picture. So that means these travelers are already part of an approved trusted traveler program where they had to opt in and go through extra screening to be able to get that status when they're standing there. The verification happens much faster than it does with the driver's license or with the boarding pass. So it is more secure and TSA says makes things more efficient as well.

[James Rundle]

How did the savings and time compare with these existing programs?

[Alison Poley]

So TSA says that it takes an average of six to eight seconds. Of course, that varies based on location and time of day. Regular TSA Pre check takes 18 to 20 seconds to pass through.

[James Rundle]

So the program uses facial recognition technology, as you said, which is everywhere right now. But there are still concerns about its use from civil liberties activists, privacy advocates and others. How are the people you spoke with who are using the program thinking about this?

[Alison Poley]

So the people I spoke with are drawing a line between this and other types of facial recognition verification. These people already have submitted their information to the government, so they've opted in. What they're doing is they're part of Global Entry or TSA pre check and they have their passport registered with the government as well. So they've already given their identity related to their traveler profile to the government. What this is doing is taking a photo of them in the moment and matching that to a picture that the government already has. Now, some travelers did say if this becomes the standard method of screening and it's not optional, that would be problematic for them. But at this point, it's a totally opt in process which makes people feel more comfortable with it. They don't have to do it.

[James Rundle]

So the biometric data isn't being stored with the airlines, it's being stored with the government?

[Alison Poley]

Correct. So I spoke with Delta and United Airlines. They already offer this type of technology and they don't do any of the identity verification.

[James Rundle]

So you mentioned Delta. Where is it currently being offered and which airlines are signed up?

[Alison Poley]

So right now Delta and United offer it and there are nine airports between the two of them. In addition to the New York airports. It is at DCA, LAX, Chicago's O'Hare, Atlanta, Salt Lake City and Detroit.

[James Rundle]

And are there any restrictions currently on who can use this?

[Alison Poley]

Yes. So you have to have a passport, you have to be a member of TSA PreCheck, whether through that program or through benefits from global entry. And you have to have an airline frequent traveler number, which means you have a profile with the airline. So you're registered in the app and you preload all of this information into your app with the particular airline. So it's there when you show up to the airport and when you check in for your flight. And if you're flying United right now, you have to be the only person on your reservation.

[James Rundle]

And are there plans to expand that out in the future?

[Alison Poley]

There are. So United says that in the coming weeks, travelers on multiparty reservations will be able to do this. And other airlines are joining the program as well. So Alaska and American Airlines expect to be able to offer this to their travelers in the coming months, but no specific date has been set yet for when it will be offered.

[Bel Lin]

That was WSJ's James Rundle speaking with our reporter Allison Poley. Coming up, why the old phones and cords in your junk drawer may be more valuable than you think. After the break.

[Viking Narrator]

This message comes from Viking, committed to exploring the world in comfort. Journey through the heart of Europe on an elegant Viking longship with thoughtful service, destination focused dining and cultural enrichment on board and on shore. And every Viking voyage is all inclusive with no children and no casinos. Discover [e-mail].

[Bel Lin]

The hunt for copper is on. What's driving the demand? Shifting from fossil fuels to more renewable electricity means we'll need a lot more lithium for electric vehicle batteries and copper for everything electric. Glencore, a mining giant, estimates that the global copper supply must grow by 1 million metric tons a year through 2050. And that would require adding the equivalent of the world's biggest mine each year. For more on how smelters like glencore are filling the gap with trash, we're joined by WSJ reporter Ryan December. Ryan, what's unique about copper and where is glencore sourcing it?

[Ryan December]

Copper is interesting because unlike a lot of commodities we think of like oil and wheat and natural gas, once we use it, it's gone. Copper never goes away. It's always there. And there's been a lot of copper mined throughout human history. A lot of it's in our houses, you know, in wiring and plumbing for drinking water. It's in our cars, in our phones and computers, out in the power lines. But there's a lot of it in the trash and junkyards. And so there's efforts to go out and find that. The reasons why they do that is it's actually easier in a lot of cases to find that than it is to get a new geologic mine. It takes decades to get a new mine from when they discover the deposits of the Oregon to the first production. So when there's a quick shock to demand, like there has been now for all the renewable energy production, as well as things like data centers and every new iPhone, that's a new batch of copper and that stuff, they can't really respond by going out and finding a new deposit and mining it in the traditional way. So the price goes up. And that incentivizes scrappers and makes the companies that process it come up with new ways to get amounts of copper that might not have been economical to retrieve in the past. Like when they shredded cars, they took out the easy stuff, but they threw away a lot. Now the price is high enough to go back into the landfills and get that out. And so glencore, a company that I visited in Canada, they're sort of making all these efforts to go and get this stuff. And these are very industrial processes, excavating old auto landfills, you know, working directly with manufacturers to get their waste and, you know, their factory floor choppings and things like that.

[Bel Lin]

Okay, let's talk about your visit to Glencore's mine in Quebec. What was the scale of the processing like there? What did you see? Tell us a bit about the scene.

[Ryan December]

Well, it's a 97 year old copper smelter and it was built up there in Quebec in the Middle of nowhere, basically. It's like 400 miles northwest of Montreal, deep in the taiga. And the mine ran out in the 70s, so they wanted to keep the smelter going. So they bring copper concentrate from all over the world. Latin America, the Southwest, U.S. other mines in Canada and Asia. But they've always augmented it since the copper mine ran out with electronics. E waste, as we often call it. And they were sort of a pioneer up there, it was before Glencore owned it, in recycling that stuff. And it's really fascinating because you see these piles of stuff, and some of it you can tell exactly what it is. Old cell phones that are chopped to bits. Other stuff looks like big piles of dirt, and that's old cars shredded so finely that at a glance you'd think it's a pile of dirt or mulch. You grab a handful, it's very clear, it's very heavy mater metallic waste. And that stuff is fed with copper concentrate. They have a chief metallurgist, they call him the chef, and he kind of is balancing all day long this chemical reaction because there's a lot of other stuff. You know, you think of a circuit board, there's plastic, there's other metals. There's all sorts of materials that aren't copper, gold or silver. And so they're always adjusting that recipe to compensate for things that add heat to the fire or change the chemistry. And they're making a lot of investments so that they can take more, a greater portion of recycled material and less concentrate. This stuff is piled 30ft high, and they're constantly getting new shipments from all over the world. And no amount of copper really is too small for them to take. They get envelopes of materials, small boxes that you'd ship to your friends, along with train cars full. They even have a collection box out front for the town's, you know, their old wires and their broken toasters and their, you know, old cell phones.

[Bel Lin]

Should we all be digging through our junk drawers looking for those utensils and toasters, bringing them to our local miner?

[Ryan December]

Yeah, well, I would say it's. Everybody has those drawers or those boxes of old wires, right? And you think, what are these good for? If you can find a place to take them, they're going to be recycled. If you're dealing with metals, even something that you don't think has a lot of metal in it, like an old calculator or your old iPhone cords, those have value. You might not get any money for them, but they have value to be reused. And whatever we Reuse is something we don't have to mine out of the ground as a society.

[Bel Lin]

So the proportion of mined to recycled copper, it's not quite in an even breakdown right now. But with greater efforts being put into recycling and scrapping and all of that, will that proportion start to change? And by how much?

[Ryan December]

Well, that's sort of hard to say, but there are, like, facilities being built in the US there's two under construction by two different German firms in the Southeast. Their whole point is to take scrap copper and recycle it and produce material ready for manufacturing of new products. The smelter in Quebec is a little unique, and it's the sort of thing that's really hard to build nowadays with modern labor and construction costs and environmental regulations, which is why it makes sense to take this material from San Jose, California, and Providence, Rhode Island. And, you know, Glencore just bought another facility in Arkansas. That's why it makes sense to take it there, because it's very hard to build these things. There's only a few smelters in all of North America. As copper concentrate becomes harder to get and more expensive, which is the copper mined from the ground, you're going to see more recycled material going in.

[Bel Lin]

That was our scrappy reporter, Ryan December. And that's it for Tech News Briefing. Today's show was produced by Julie Chang with supervising producer Katherine Millsop logging off. I'm Belle Lin for the Wall Street Journal. We'll sign back in this afternoon with TNB Tech Minute. Thanks for listening.