On June 29, the second work meeting of the medium- and long-term science and technology planning strategic study for the marine mineral resources development technology sub-field, together with the annual academic conference of the State Key Laboratory of Deep-Sea Mineral Resources Development and Utilization Technology, was held at CRIMM.
The meeting was chaired by Li Maolin, director of the deep-sea State Key Laboratory and deputy general manager of the institute. Attendees included eight sub-field experts, among them Professor Jin Jiancai, Professor Liu Shaojun and Professor Jiang Xunxiong; experts from more than ten organizations including the China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association (COMRA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Central South University, Hunan University of Science and Technology, the Beijing General Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, the First Institute of Oceanography, CRRC Group, the 701 and 702 Research Institutes of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, and the Changsha Institute of Mining Research; and the leadership team and key research staff of CRIMM’s Marine Institute.
Institute deputy general manager Zhuo Xiaojun delivered an address on behalf of the institute and the State Key Laboratory, welcoming the visiting experts. Li Maolin, as the person responsible for the sub-field’s medium- and long-term science and technology planning strategic study, reported on the completion status of the development strategy research report. Through preliminary work including data collection and analysis and field research, the expert group has preliminarily identified the sub-field’s research hotspots, development needs and strategic layout. Members of the expert group then delivered work reports covering frontier hot topics in the field, mineral resource exploration, deep-sea mining technology, mineral processing and metallurgical technology, environmental protection, and the overall configuration of surface vessels and deep-sea equipment.
In the afternoon, the invited experts held lively discussions on the strategic goals, technological development, management mechanisms and organizational models for the development and utilization of deep-sea mineral resources. They analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of China’s deep-sea mining, made judgments on frontiers and hotspots, and put forward recommendations on phased priority tasks for the next 15 years. The meeting reached consensus on key questions such as the medium- and long-term strategic goals for deep-sea mineral resources development and utilization: by 2035, China will possess the engineering capability for commercial mining.
