What's in your EV battery?
Electric cars need mining. As we move forward in the energy transition, minerals and metals are key in the development of next-generation mobility.
This first step is mining. It’s the process of removing the raw material from the Earth.
Extract
Search each image below and learn more when you find a hidden car part. Ready to play?
This is when rocks get crushed into smaller rocks. Rocks containing copper are sorted and separated from the others.
Crush and Sort
In this stage, the rocks get broken up into even smaller rocks, some pieces as fine as sand. Typically, this occurs in giant cylindrical bins that spin around with large iron balls breaking up the rocks.
Mill
This is when the sandy substance is mixed with water and chemicals. In this example, air is pumped into the bottom of the tank, and the copper sticks to it and is brought to the top.
Beneficiation
For copper, metal recovery happens in an Olympic swimming-pool sized bath. Anodes are placed into the solution containing copper ore, and the copper clings to the anodes.
Metal Recovery
Learn more about mineral processing at Stantec
Learn More
You haven’t found all the car parts yet. Keep trying!
New, specialized flotation reactors have a small footprint compared to conventional flotation reactors. This smaller footprint means a reduction in energy intensity. Also, coarse particle flotation (CPF) can allow for mineral recovery at coarser grind sizes. Being able to process coarser materials results in less energy and water use. Selecting the proper separation technique resulted in optimized production for an iron ore site in Australia.
Upgrading Technology
Learn More
The high-grade copper is on its way to a refinery for final production. You identified five upgrades that increase how much copper we recovered, and you found cost savings along the way. By implementing changes like these, you're being a good steward of Earth’s finite resources.
Congratulations!
Learn More
This process requires a lot of energy. Moving away from diesel energy sources and transitioning to renewable energy helps reduce carbon emissions. We’ve been seeing a lot of cleaner energy sources like wind, solar, hydropower, pumped storage, and biofuels at mine sites. For example, Stantec is working to reduce BHP’s Scope 2 GHG gas emissions at its Leinster and Mount Keith nickel operations in Australia by incorporating solar power.
Transitioning to renewable energy
Learn More
Some forms of milling use a lot of water—so let’s use it wisely! Instead of bringing water in and discharging it, there are opportunities to create a closed loop water flow. Recycling water takes little up-front planning, but with technology to clean the water throughout the flow, this could be a more attractive option in the future—especially in arid climates. Similar water reuse examples exist in mining, too.
Recycling Water
Learn More
Much of the rock extracted from the Earth during mining is not the sought-after ore. By crushing and sorting the high grade ore from lower grade ore, we reduce the need to transport heavy material offsite.
In Pit or Underground Crushing
Learn More
Extracting the rocks from the Earth can be made more sustainable by using BEVs. By utilizing both electric and autonomous vehicles, clients can reduce carbon emissions while also improving safety for their staff. Though they are a good option, there are both benefits and potential obstacles to explore when evaluating BEV-readiness at a mine site.
Battery Electric Vehicles
Restart
Product Form
Boulder
Product Form
rocks
Product Form
Sand
Product Form
Slurry
Product Form
Sheets
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Stage 5
Find the part
Find the part
Find the part
Find the part
Find the part
Extract
1
Crush & Sort
2
Mill
3
Beneficiation
4
Metal Recovery
5
Engine
START
Sustainable Improvement:
Sustainable Improvement:
Sustainable Improvement:
Sustainable Improvement:
Sustainable Improvement:
Game – Search & Find
Next Stage
Next Stage
Next Stage
Next Stage
Finish Line
Iron
2.7%
Lithium
3.2%
Cobalt
4.3%
Manganese
5.4%
Steel
10.8%
Copper
10.8%
Nickel
15.7%
Aluminum
18.9%
Graphite
28.1%
Click to see what's inside an EV battery
One electric car requires more than 400 pounds (180 kilograms) of mined materials like copper, nickel, and lithium.
What raw materials are in an EV?
The question is... how do you sustainably get car materials from a pile of rocks?
Charged up: Key considerations around electric vehicle use on mine sites
As the mining industry pushes for sustainable solutions, it’s important to examine the benefits—and potential obstacles—around battery-powered EVs
Battery Electric Vehicles
Efemçukuru Mine – Underground Crushing Station
Safe, effective operations for the Eldorado Gold Corporation
In Pit or Underground Crushing
Barrick Gold – Cortez Hills Underground Pump Station No. 1
This pumping station will keep things dry underground
Recycling Water
The Northern Goldfields Solar Project
The development and execution of two solar farms and a battery energy storage system
Upgrading Technology
Ultrafine Iron Recovery Project
Feasibility engineering and cost study for wet high intensity magnetic separation
Transitioning to renewable energy
Learn more about sustainable mining and mineral processing
Product Form
Boulder
Product Form
rocks
Product Form
Sand
Product Form
Slurry
Product Form
Sheets