Here’s an assessment of our geological resources, which sounds too good to be true, were it not coming straight from the minds and mouths of our very own scientists and engineers over at the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Center for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD): We have enough minerals and metals to enable us to become fully independent from fossil fuel imports for use in the transport sector.
And it’s not just all talk. Efforts are actually being made by the center to mine these minerals and process them, initially to produce batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).
Based on my interviews with the DOST-PCIEERD team, its Mining and Minerals Sector already has a roadmap for the extraction of the critical minerals and metals, and lays down possible projects and practical applications in emerging and green technologies, particularly batteries for EVs.
The group of experts, led by Engineer Katrina Landicho, head of the Mining and Minerals Sector and Senior Science Research Specialist, Engineer Airess Casimero (SRS II), and Francesca Angeline Carranza (SRS I), told this writer: “In the Philippines, direct shipments of high-grade nickel laterite ores has been the dominant practice of nickel mining companies,” with only two out of 29 mining companies engaged in the processing of low-grade nickel laterite ores as of 2018.
Critical and in-demand minerals and metals such as nickel, cobalt, and other rare earth elements (REEs) are found in laterite ore, specifically in limonite/laterite ore. REEs are most often used in the manufacture of components used in the assembly of high-technology devices such as smartphones, digital cameras, computer hard disks, fluorescent and light-emitting-diode (LED) lights, flat screen televisions, computer monitors, and electronic displays. REEs are also needed in the production of clean energy.
Such developments coming from our own science and technology department provide that gust of fresh air we need from all this stifling news of continuously climbing oil price hikes and supply cut-offs due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine—two significant global producers of metals, minerals, and REEs.
Our scientists and engineers are thus saying that if our country is able to supply the raw materials, while developing our own EV manufacturing industry (as part of the Evida bill that’s expected to become law), then this could be one significant solution to our current energy woes.
DOST-PCIEERD is proactively exerting efforts to make this happen. It’s now funding the E-Minerals project, which is short for “Extraction of Mineral Nickel and Raw Materials Recovery Leveraging Philippine Local Resources for Energy Storage Applications”.
Although the Philippines is rich in mineral resources such as nickel and cobalt, we’re not so naturally endowed with lithium. Lithium is a key component in electronics and batteries, particularly for EVs.
Landicho said, however, that there’s a way around that. “Instead of relying on other countries for lithium, we can source our own lithium from the thousands of tons of waste lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries via recycling. We also need to develop nickel extraction technology specifically tailored for the Philippine lateritic ores to produce battery-grade nickel.”
Landicho also disclosed that environment-friendly methods for mining and extracting minerals, metals, and REEs are also being actively developed by the team. “A project that revolves around the recovery of nickel, cobalt, iron, and REEs from low-grade Philippine laterite ores using atmospheric leaching with reduction pre-treatment is intended to establish the sustainable and efficient processing of low-grade Philippine laterite ores, and will help address the scarcities of nickel, cobalt, and REMs (rare earth metals). This would be implemented by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in collaboration with major nickel mining companies in the Philippines,” she explained.
Copper for electro-mobility
Another project the DOST-PCIEERD is supporting is the Alternative and Advanced Copper Processing Technology Program.
“The increasing demand for copper in electro-mobility will become even greater with the emergence of EV technologies over the next decade. The program will help revitalize the copper industry by providing an alternative processing route for copper extraction from Philippine ores,” Landicho stressed.
Her group also explained that the program would develop copper production using both hydrometallurgical and solvometallurgical (non-aqueous) extraction methods from copper sulfides and oxides.
The program is implemented by the University of the Philippines Department of Mining, Metallurgical, and Materials Engineering in collaboration with Carmen Copper Corp, Cebu and Lepanto Consolidated Mining Co Benguet.
Mine tailings remediation
Another DOST project—PROMT or Philippines Remediation of Mine Tailings—involves an interdisciplinary team of Philippine and UK researchers aiming to develop innovative technologies for sustainable tailings and mine waste management, remediation, and rehabilitation.
DOST-PCIEERD revealed that “the heart of the project is the application of novel solvents in extracting valuable and toxic elements from the mine tailings of both porphyry Cu (copper) and Ni (nickel) laterite mines.”
Copper and nickel metals are essential for the production of batteries used for EVs.
DOST scientists noted that the advantage of the project is that “the application is in situ (onsite). The project is co-funded by the United Kingdom Research Innovation-Natural Environment Research Council (UKRI-NERC) and the DOST-PCIEERD, and will be implemented by the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, University of the Philippines-Diliman and UP Los Banos from the Philippines and University of Reading, University of Leicester, and University of Exeter from the United Kingdom.”
Cobalt, lithium recovery
DOST-PCIEERD is also supporting a project called the Development of Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membrane for the Simultaneous Recovery of Cobalt and Lithium from Waste Secondary Batteries.
Landicho explained the significance of the project: “The potential shift of public transportation in 2025 from the jeepneys to e-trikes and e-vehicles pinpoints one of many greener steps towards a sustainable society. However, the continuous dependence on electronic devices has given rise to a new environmental challenge—battery waste. This project employs electrodialysis technology to simultaneously separate lithium from cobalt to circumvent the energy-intensive precipitation process. We aim to fabricate repeating units of electrodialysis to extract lithium from battery waste.”
Looking at the bigger picture, Landicho said her group sees the far-reaching effects of DOST-PCIEERD’s projects, going far beyond the transport industry. “Under the priority program of the mining and minerals sector’s 2024 call for proposals is the extraction of critical minerals from iron, chromite, and bauxite ores and copper mine tailings. As the world moves towards a green and digitized economy, there is also the increasing demand for critical minerals that cover a wide range of applications in several industries such as electronics, manufacturing, and renewable energy (which includes the use of hybrid or plug-in EVs).”
IN PHOTO: A lead acid battery being charged in DOST facilities using sound technology.
