FAQs – Page 3 – Impossible Metals

Q: I.3 What is the typical operational lifespan of the underwater robot?

Our current economic model is v7. In our economics, we model a 25-year effective life for the underwater robots. Underwater vehicles, when maintained, can last well beyond 25 years. The JASON ROV, launched in 1988, is a good example of this. We will spend about 10% of the total CAPEX each year on the maintenance of our equipment.

Q: I.2 What are the size ranges of nodules that the underwater robot’s robotic arms pick up?

The current end effector and internal nodule conveyor can accommodate a wide range of nodule sizes from 2 cm to 11 cm diameter. Refinement to the end effector design and conveyor for the production system will be customized to the nodule distribution in the field of operation. Our current v7 concept economic model assumes targeting the largest nodules in the field picking nodules 6.5 cm diameter and larger.

Q: Myth 16: There are health risks associated with the natural radioactivity of nodules

A scientific paper shows that there are no fundamental health risks associated with the natural radioactivity of nodules. Please refer to Question B.19 for more information .

Q: B.19 What is the radiation exposure of polymetallic nodules?

The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), in collaboration with external experts, has assessed potential health risks associated with the natural radioactivity of polymetallic nodules. According to the EU Radiation Protection Act, it is the effective body dose under realistic working conditions, rather than the activity concentration, that is decisive for assessing the actual risks posed by natural radionuclides in polymetallic nodules. The new investigations show that there are no fundamental health risks associated with the natural radioactivity of nodules. For more details, please see this paper published in Nature: Estimations of effective doses received from naturally occurring radioactivity in polymetallic nodules from the deep sea.

Q: I.1 How do you scale to high rates of production?

Our latest economic model is v7. Each Eureka IV, our planned production-scale underwater robot, will be able to deliver 12 wet metric tonnes of nodules to the transport ship every 4.4 hours. The same vehicle performs over 5.5 trips per day to deliver an average of 66 metric tons to the transport ship. 100 Eureka IV robots operating in parallel would harvest 6,600 tons per day. No fundamental limit exists on how many underwater robots and transport ships are deployed. We anticipate a volume production per location of around 6.8 million wet tonnes of nodules annually.

Q: B.18 What is your view on the dark oxygen paper?

We are well aware of this. In fact, Andrew Sweetman, the lead author of the paper, participates in our scientific roundtables, where we regularly engage with the scientific community and they provide input on our approach. The topic of dark oxygen was heavily amplified a year ago by groups opposed to deep sea mining, based on a single paper. It is potential discoveries like this one that really highlight the regulatory value of the Impossible Metals approach with our Eureka collection system. Our ability to leave undisturbed high proportions of nodules, which maintain all functions of the ecosystem, including dark oxygen, if proven to be true. There are several scientific rebuttals and critiques to the dark oxygen paper: Critical Review of the Article: “Evidence of Dark Oxygen Production at the Abyssal Seafloor” by Sweetman et al. in Nat. Geosci. 1–3 (2024) Rebuttal of Sweetman, A.K., Smith, A.J., de Jonge, D.S.W. et al. Evidence of dark oxygen production at the abyssal seafloor. Nat. Geosci. (2024) Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence: evaluating nodule-associated dark oxygen production

I.3 What is the typical operational lifespan of the underwater robot?

I.2 What are the size ranges of nodules that the underwater robot’s robotic arms pick up?

Myth 16: There are health risks associated with the natural radioactivity of nodules

I.1 How do you scale to high rates of production?

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