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01 / 05
Reserves of “Gold” Hydrogen May Be Lurking Beneath 30 US States

Live Science | Energy & Natural Resources

Reserves of “Gold” Hydrogen May Be Lurking Beneath 30 US States

“A first-of-its-kind map of the United States has revealed the likely locations of huge, naturally occurring hydrogen reserves.

The map, which you can explore here, is the first to show prospective locations for hydrogen on such a huge scale, marking areas where hydrogen gas may be lurking beneath the surface in quantities large enough to extract.

The researchers who created the map already suspected there could be more hydrogen buried in Earth’s crust than scientists previously thought. But now that the results are out, even the team that created the map can’t quite believe their eyes, according to a statement.

‘For decades, the conventional wisdom was that naturally occurring hydrogen did not accumulate in sufficient quantities to be used for energy purposes,’ Sarah Ryker, associate director for energy and mineral resources at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), who did not participate in the research, said in the statement. ‘This map is tantalizing because it shows that several parts of the U.S. could have a subsurface hydrogen resource after all.'”

From Live Science.

Bloomberg | Energy Production

Japan Utility to Survey First Nuclear Reactor Since Fukushima

“Japan’s Kansai Electric Power Co. will begin studying plans for a nuclear power reactor, the first step toward constructing a new one since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, Nikkei reported.

The regional utility, which currently operates seven reactors in western Japan, will start geological surveys at its Mihama Nuclear Power Plant, Nikkei reported without citing where it got the information. Kansai Electric will announce plans to resume studying new reactor builds in the coming days, the report said, after such surveys had been suspended since the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.”

From Bloomberg.

Wall Street Journal | Mineral Production

Synthetic Diamonds 1/5 of Diamond Jewelry Sales, up from 1 Percent in 2016

“Synthetic diamonds currently account for more than a fifth of global diamond jewelry sales, up from less than 1% in 2016, according to Paul Zimnisky, an independent analyst.

For engagement rings, the penetration is even higher. More than half the engagement rings purchased last year in the U.S. had a lab-created diamond, a 40% increase compared with 2019, according to a survey of nearly 17,000 U.S. couples by wedding planning website The Knot. 

‘Diamonds were always seen as expensive, a rich person’s asset,’ says Matt Bick, a third-generation diamond seller with a showroom on the same London block as the De Beers headquarters. ‘Now everyone can wear them.'”

From Wall Street Journal.

Science | Water Use

Devices That Pull Water Out of Thin Air Poised to Take Off

“More than 2 billion people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water, with global warming and competing demands from farms and industry expected to worsen shortages. But the skies may soon provide relief, not in the form of rain but humidity, sucked out of the air by ‘atmospheric water harvesters.’ The devices have existed for decades but typically are too expensive, energy-hungry, or unproductive to be practical.

Now, however, two classes of materials called hydrogels and metal-organic frameworks have touched off what Evelyn Wang, a mechanical engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, calls ‘an explosion of efforts related to atmospheric water harvesting.’ …

In 2023 [University of California, Berkeley chemist Omar Yaghi] and his colleagues reported an aluminum-based MOF that was cheap to make in bulk and that could wring water from desert air. In preliminary, unpublished tests, Yaghi says, prototype devices using a tweaked version of his team’s MOF can produce 200 liters of water per kilogram per day with only small amounts of added heat.

Yaghi has licensed the technology to Atoco, which is exploring using it to generate water to cool data centers, harnessing their waste heat to speed the cycling. Atoco plans to open pilot scale facilities in Texas and Arizona next year to test scaled-up versions.”

From Science.

Mining Weekly | Mineral Production

Japan to Begin Test Mining Rare-Earth Mud in Early 2026

“Surveys have confirmed the presence of rare-earth-rich mud at depths of 5 000 to 6 000 meters within Japan’s exclusive economic zone near Minamitori Island, Ishii said.

The mud is believed to contain dysprosium and neodymium, which are used in electric vehicle motor magnets, as well as gadolinium and terbium, used in various high-tech products, Ishii said.

Pipes from a deep-sea exploration vessel operated by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology will be used to extract the mud, which will then be transported to the mainland for analysis to determine its rare earth content.

If successful, the project aims to launch trial operations of a system capable of recovering 350 metric tons of mud per day in January 2027.”

From Mining Weekly.