Minerals Report - International Seabed Authority

not economical, under the circumstances at that time (Table7). The minimum
required return on the investment of
Table 7. Fe-Mn crust mining and processing, estimated annual revenues and costs
Commodity Output
(t)
Prices
(1985 dollars)
Pyrometallurgical Process Revenues
Cobalt 5,710 11.70 133.6
Nickel 2,990 3.29 19.7
Copper 120 0.65 0.2
Fe-Mn 195,000 0.30 117.0
Total Revenues - - 207.5
Costs - - -291.0
Net Revenues - - -20.5
Hydrometallurgical Process Revenues
Cobalt 5,365 11.70 125.5
Nickel 2,900 3.29 19.1
Copper 420 0.65 0.5
Total Revenues - - 145.1
Costs - - -204.0
Net Revenues - - -58.9
From DOI-MMS [136]
Amount
($ X 10 6 )
$750 million in mining and processing is on the order of US $100
million per year. Neither pyrometallurgical nor hydrometallurgical
processing options would be commercially viable under the scenario of
700,000 dry t/y of crust production (137). However, it has recently been
determined that Fe-Mn crusts contain metals other than manganese, cobalt,
nickel, copper, and platinum that may offer additional incentive in recovery
(Table 8).
INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 232