De Beers aims to make mines carbon-neutral

De Beers is aiming to make some of its mines carbon-neutral within the next five to 10 years.

The mining company said it is devising a method for storing carbon dioxide in kimberlite rocks. It will look at how to speed up the naturally occurring process of kimberlite reacting with carbon to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The process happens faster in kimberlite than it does in other rocks, but it is still too slow to balance out the mine’s manmade carbon emissions.

Dr. Evelyn Mervine, who is leading the project at De Beers, said: “Mineral carbonation technologies are not new, but what is new is the application of these technologies to kimberlite ore.”

She added: “The research is in its early stages, and it may take some time before it is economically or practically achievable to tap into this full storage potential.

“However, even just tapping into a small amount could greatly reduce the net emissions at many of our mine sites in the near future, and possibly lead to carbon-neutral mining at some sites within the next five to 10 years.”