Key points
- In 2022, Allseas’ pilot system collected nodules from the seafloor and lifted them through a 4-km riser to the surface; the companies have since refined the design and reduced its environmental footprint.
- The collector is divided into three systems: pickup, processing, and transfer.
- Hydraulic flow lifts nodules into a hopper, where they settle through the bottom and are then carried upward through the vertical transport system.
- Inside the hopper, pumps separate sediment from nodules; the sediment is discharged through diffusers that slow its flow so it settles quickly.
