The green transition relies on large quantities of metals, as they are essential for technological development in fossil-free energy and the ongoing electrification of society. It is inevitable that mines and metal production have some environmental impact, but we continuously work to develop new solutions and methods to minimize our footprint. For example, traditional explosives used in mining release nitrogen oxides that end up in soil and water.
“The explosive could be a game changer in sustainable mining"
Reduced climate impact by 400 tonnes of CO₂ annually
That’s why it is extremely positive that we have initiated a collaboration with Hypex Bio to produce a nitrogen-free explosive, which is instead based on hydrogen peroxide. The newly developed explosive significantly reduces the need for nitrogen purification of water and lowers our climate impact by about 400 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
“For us, it is important to be part of technology development in many areas and when it is successful, we also want to be early with implementation. Together with the electrification of transport and other machines, this means another important step towards being able to conduct mining operations that are, in principle, fossil-free”, says Peter Bergman, General Manager of the Boliden Area.
