Mining

Many renewable energy technologies require metals that are mined through environmentally destructive processes. Now, Oxford scientists are investigating a new way to mine valuable metals trapped in hot brines beneath volcanoes.

Extracting and refining copper into a useful form can be energy intensive and requires harsh chemical treatments. But now researchers at the University of Houston have discovered bacteria that naturally convert toxic copper ions into metallic copper.

Mining giant Rio Tinto has announced plans to install a pilot version of Heliogen's high-temperature "solar refinery" at a Californian boron mine, supplying clean energy as well as heat for industrial processes, with operations set to start in 2022.

Torsus jumped onto the scene two years ago with one of the world's ruggedest 4x4 buses. Now it's turning the VW Crafter 4Motion/MAN TGE 4x4 into what it believes is the world's most capable minibus, a go-anywhere workhorse for up to 21 passengers.

As we continue to explore other planets, we're going to want to know not only what's on their surface, but also what's underneath it. That's where the Mole-bot comes in – it's a robot that autonomously tunnels its way through the ground.

Anglo American and Williams Advanced Engineering have joined forces to develop what will become the world's largest hydrogen or electric powered mining truck, aiming to help bring carbon neutral mining within reach.

Brazilian architectural studio Gustavo Penna Arquiteto e Associados (GPA&A) in partnership with steel industry company Gerdau has recently completed a 45-sq-m (484-sq-ft) minimalist home built using mining waste.

Scania has developed a number of self-driving trucks that are currently in service, but they've always included a cabin just in case a human driver needs to take over ... until now.

A Swiss company has retro-fitted a huge dump truck with an all-electric powertrain to make the biggest EV the world has ever seen.

​Fans of the movie Prometheus will recall the probes that were sent into the alien structure, autonomously flying through it to create a 3D map of its interior. Well, something kind of similar is now in development, in the form of an underwater robot that maps the flooded tunnels of abandoned mines.

ESA has indicated it's interested in mining the Moon by 2025. To help achieve this, the space agency has awarded a one-year contract to ArianeGroup to look into the feasibility of a mining mission to the lunar surface to support a manned outpost as well as producing fuel for deep space missions.

German photographer Tom Hegen has been capturing the interactions between humans and nature for several years. Using everything from drones to hot air balloons, Hegen’s work offers stunning, surreal and abstract aerial perspectives on such subjects as coal mining, aquaculture and tulip farms.