科學家們認為，火山巖漿富含銅、鎳和鋅等金屬，可以用來替代破壞環境的采礦作業

活火山和休眠火山也可能是地熱能的重要來源，它將能源密集型采礦活動轉變為碳中和過程

這一概念需要在研究和技術上進行大量投資，以便了解地質情況，并開發從火山中提取這些資源的方法

據油價網2023年7月9日報道，世界各地的政府和私營企業都在尋找生產可再生能源和支持綠色轉型的創新方法。由于一些國家出臺了更強有力的氣候政策，以及近幾年來公共和私人資金的大幅增加，可再生能源領域取得了一些突破。這既包括我們可以獲得的各種清潔能源和新的綠色技術，也包括對開發以前從未考慮過的能源潛力進行更多了解。其中一個選擇是火山，科學家們認為火山可能是地熱能和提供全球綠色轉型所需關鍵金屬的主要來源。

為了減少全球溫室氣體排放和減緩氣候變化的影響，我們正在集體從化石燃料轉向綠色替代品，一個很大的擔憂是，為了支持這一舉措，對金屬的需求日益增長。對銅、鎳和鋅等金屬的需求正在增加，因為新可再生能源運營需要更多的金屬，到2050年前，鈷的產量預計將增長六倍，銀的產量將再增長一半。但為了滿足這一需求，全球范圍內的采礦活動將需要呈指數級增長，這可能會對環境構成新的威脅，就像我們逐漸遠離化石燃料一樣。為了應對這一威脅，能源專家和科學家們一直在忙于研究獲取這些金屬的其他方法。

研究人員現在卻認為，不需要新的采礦作業，他們就可以從火山巖漿中獲得這些金屬。今年5月，奧利維亞·霍格和喬恩·布朗迪在《地球科學家》雜志上撰文，談到了利用火山力量的潛力而不是尋找潛在的破壞性替代方案，如深海采礦。在火山中發現的巖漿含有極其豐富的金屬。事實上，像意大利的埃特納火山這樣的活火山每天以火山氣體的形式釋放出大約20噸銅和10公斤黃金。雖然不能從火山氣體中提取金屬，但有可能從火山的熱巖漿鹽水中開采金屬。

在這些鹽水中發現的金屬濃度很高。全世界大約有2000座火山，這可能是重要金屬的巨大來源。活火山和休眠火山都可能適合提取金屬。金屬的開采已經與巖漿聯系在一起，但通常是在地殼和地幔中發現的巖漿。直接從熱巖漿巖(如休眠火山下的巖漿巖)中開采鉛是可能的，這樣就可以從濃縮溶液中提取金屬，而不是從固體巖石中提取金屬。此外，霍格和布朗迪認為，火山中發現的熱流體可以用來產生地熱能，使金屬提取過程碳中和，這意味著可能不再需要與典型采礦作業相關的能源密集型過程。

雖然地球內部隱藏著豐富的地熱能，但獲取它并不總是那么容易。在過去，有效獲取和提取這種能源所需的工具并不存在，這意味著在過去的幾十年里，地熱技術的投資嚴重不足，因為缺乏工具被認為是地熱開發失敗的一個原因。然而，由于各國政府推動綠色轉型，并支持對各種綠色能源的研究和創新，我們正在逐漸更好地了解地熱能，以及我們如何利用地熱能力量。

地熱能通常來自地下，是通過轉換地殼下的熱能而產生的。通過挖1英里（約合1609米）深的井來獲取能源，從而獲得地下儲水層的蒸汽和熱水，這些熱水可以帶動與發電機相連的渦輪機。近幾年來，新技術使冰島、薩爾瓦多、新西蘭、肯尼亞和菲律賓等幾個國家能夠利用地熱資源。事實上，地熱能滿足了冰島90%以上的供暖需求。

現在，科學家們認為火山可能是地熱能的豐富來源。來自加拿大地質調查局的研究人員一直在研究是否有可能從蒂尼山和凱萊山獲取地熱能。到目前為止，他們的研究表明，從加拿大的火山特別是蒂尼山，提取地熱能的潛力很大。由于它持續釋放火山氣體，這表明火山仍然相當活躍。兩座火山都位于極熱的地下儲水層頂部，可以用來發電。但要獲得這種地熱能，需要將熱液體泵入附近的設施，并使用鉆探從儲水層釋放蒸汽。這種蒸汽可以為渦輪機提供動力，就像傳統地熱能源生產。然而，就像從地下獲取地熱能一樣，利用這種能量可能需要在研究和勘探方面進行大量投資。

由于越來越多的資金被投入到廣泛的綠色能源組合和相關技術的研究和創新中，科學家們和能源專家越來越多地看到了以前被忽視能源的潛力。各國很可能既可以獲得支持可再生能源項目所需的金屬，也可以從休眠的火山中獲得地熱能。但要將其付諸實踐，將需要更多研究和對地質的了解，以及對啟動這些作業所需設備的投資。

李峻 譯自 油價網

原文如下：

Volcanoes: The Fiery Future Of Green Energy

·     Scientists believe that magma from volcanoes, rich in metals like copper, nickel, and zinc, could be harnessed as an alternative to environmentally damaging mining operations.

·     Volcanoes, both active and dormant, could also be a significant source of geothermal energy, transforming energy-intensive mining operations into carbon-neutral processes.

·     The concept requires substantial investment in research and technology to understand geology and develop methods to extract these resources from volcanoes.

Governments and private companies worldwide are looking at innovative new ways to generate renewable energy and support a green transition. Thanks to stronger climate policies in several countries, and a significant boost in public and private funding in recent years, several breakthroughs have been seen in the world of renewables. This includes both the variety of clean energy sources we have access to, new green technologies, and greater knowledge about the potential to tap into previously unthought-of energy sources. One such option is volcanoes, which scientists are suggesting could be a major source of both geothermal energy and the provision of metals needed for a global green transition. 

As we make a collective shift away from fossil fuels to green alternatives in a bid to reduce the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and slow the effects of climate change, one big concern is the growing need for metals to support this move. The demand for metals, such as copper, nickel, and zinc, is increasing as greater amounts are required for new renewable energy operations, with cobalt production expected to grow sixfold and silver by half as much again by 2050. But to meet this demand, mining activities worldwide will need to increase exponentially, potentially posing a new threat to the environment, just as we move away from fossil fuels. In response to this threat, energy experts and scientists have been hurriedly researching other ways to access these metals. 

One way in which researchers now believe they may be able to get these metals without new mining operations is in the magma from volcanoes. In May, Olivia Hogg and Jon Blundy wrote in Geoscientist about the potential of harnessing the power of volcanoes, rather than looking at potentially damaging alternatives such as deep-sea mining. The magma found in volcanoes is extremely rich in metals. In fact, active volcanoes such as Mount Etna in Italy release around 20 tonnes of copper and 10 kg of gold a day in the form of volcanic gases. While metals cannot be extracted from volcanic gas, it may be possible to mine them from hot magmatic brines in the volcano. 

The metals found in these brines are highly concentrated. And with around 2,000 volcanoes worldwide, this could provide a huge source of important metals. Both active and dormant volcanoes may be suitable for metal extraction. The mining of metals is already linked to magma, but typically that which is found in the Earth’s crust and mantle. It may be possible to directly mine brings from hot magmatic rocks, such as those under dormant volcanoes, which would allow metals to be extracted from a concentrated solution rather than solid rock. In addition, Hogg and Blundy believe the hot fluids found in volcanoes could be used to produce geothermal power to make the metal extraction process carbon neutral, meaning there would potentially no longer be a need for the energy-intensive processes associated with typical mining operations.

While there is abundant geothermal energy hidden inside the earth, accessing it has not always been so easy. The tools needed to access and extract this energy effectively did not exist in the past, meaning that there has been significant underinvestment in geothermal technologies in previous decades as it was thought of as a lost cause. However, as governments push a green transition and support research and innovation into a diverse range of green energy sources, we are gradually gaining a better understanding of geothermal energy and how we might harness its power. 

Geothermal energy typically comes from underground, produced by converting heat energy from underneath the Earth’s crust. Energy is accessed by digging one-mile-deep wells to reach underground reservoirs to access steam and hot water, which can turn turbines connected to electricity generators. New technologies have enabled several countries to tap into their geothermal resources in recent years, including Iceland, El Salvador, New Zealand, Kenya, and the Philippines. In fact, geothermal energy meets more than 90 percent of Iceland’s heating demand. 

But now, scientists are suggesting that volcanoes may be an abundant source of geothermal energy. Researchers from the Geological Survey of Canada have been investigating whether it is possible to access geothermal energy from Mount Meager and Mount Cayley. So far, their research suggests that there is a “high potential” for extracting geothermal energy from volcanoes in Canada, especially Mount Meager. As it continues to release volcanic gasses, it shows that the volcano remains fairly active. Both volcanoes at on top of extremely hot underground reservoirs that could be used to generate electricity. But to access this geothermal energy, hot liquid would need to be pumped into facilities nearby, requiring drilling to release steam from the reservoir. This steam could power a turbine, in the same way as conventional geothermal energy production. However, just as with accessing geothermal energy from underground, significant investment in research and exploration may be required to harness this power. 

As more funding is pumped into research and innovation in a broad green energy mix and related technologies, scientists and energy experts are increasingly seeing the potential of previously overlooked energy sources. It is probable that countries could access both the metals needed to support renewable energy projects and geothermal energy from their dormant volcanoes. But putting this into practice will require much more research and understanding of the geology, as well as investment in the equipment needed to launch these operations.