Natural resources
The latest chemistry news and research on natural resources, including oil, gas and biofuels, from the Royal Society of Chemistry's magazine, Chemistry World
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ResearchEarthquake-induced electricity offers answer to mystery of gold nugget formation
Under pressure quartz veins donate electrons to grow larger nuggets
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NewsMetallic nodules sought by deep sea miners could be making oxygen in the depths
Water-splitting at the bottom of the Pacific holds intriguing implications for the origin of life on Earth – and further afield
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ResearchRedox reactions ‘mine’ old fluorescent light bulbs for europium
In just three simple steps rare earth element can be recovered, avoiding ‘ecologically devastating’ mining
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ResearchUnderwater device reveals marine chemical diversity
I-Smel device probes metabolites produced by Mediterranean sponges
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ResearchStrings that draw-up brine could help supply the world with lithium
Concept takes lithium extraction into the third dimension away from cumbersome, slow pools of brine
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ResearchLithium discovery in US volcano could be biggest deposit ever found
Find could point to new ways to prospect for material in high demand for batteries.
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FeatureThe hunt for natural hydrogen reserves
For a long time, nobody thought there could be large quantities of the gas underground. Anna Demming talks to the people proving otherwise
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NewsUK’s first commercial lithium mine could supply two-thirds of the country’s needs by 2030
British Lithium and Imerys agree venture to exploit Cornish site thought to hold 161 million tonnes of lithium oxide
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FeatureThe lithium rush
Move over, gold; lithium is now the metal in global demand. Kit Chapman untangles the global politics around the sought-after resource
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NewsResource conflict likely to expand as world heads into ‘low-cooperation era’
Critical metals such as cobalt and vanadium could be fought over in the near future, World Economic Forum report claims
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OpinionMass spectrometry to catch Christmas tree thieves and timber traffickers
Forensic chemistry can help uncover pine pilfering and fiendish fir felling
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NewsCall for chemists to reorientate chemistry as a sustainability science
Chemists should take the lead to prevent the transgression of planetary boundaries
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NewsEU plots course to secure raw materials vital to a low-carbon economy
Russia’s war on Ukraine and the pandemic have highlighted the bloc’s dependence on unreliable suppliers
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OpinionJames Lovelock, a gentleman scientist
Philip Ball reflects on the legacy of the creator of the Gaia hypothesis, who has died aged 103
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ResearchRadiation discovered to be a major overlooked source of natural gas generation in shales
Uranium and thorium may be responsible for producing a significant portion of hydrocarbons in some fracking wells
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FeatureThe RSC’s climate challenge
The Royal Society of Chemistry aims to use Cop26 as a springboard to a more sustainable future. Rachel Brazil reports
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ResearchChemical definition of brine as water could help clear up Chile’s lithium controversy
As evidence grows that lithium mining damages water sources, reclassifying brine as water – rather than as mineral – could empower Indigenous communities to protect their rights and convince mining companies to act more responsibly
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Business4 dead in UK sewage treatment works explosion
One person injured as biosolids silo explodes at Avonmouth
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ReviewThe Uninhabitable Earth: A Story of the Future
Jack Tarrant reviews David Wallace-Wells’ The Uninhabitable Earth