Here, in an area of five million square kilometres, manganese nodules are abundantly found on the seabed. Their metal content offers a potential for commercial deep-sea mining. In recent years mineral ...

These distinct-looking potato-sized formations, known scientifically as manganese nodules, contain precious metals that could literally help sustain the ever-growing demand for battery materials.

Now, plans are afoot to begin trial collection of the manganese nodules, or mineral concretions, from the Pacific Ocean site as early as 2025 with a view toward commercialization. Manganese ...