New Technologies Could Refine Copper Without The Dirty Smelting
"Copper will play a central role in the energy transition. These startups are working on a cleaner way to extract it."

EJToday is a daily weekday digest of top environment/energy news and information of interest to environmental journalists, independently curated by Editor Joseph A. Davis. Sign up below to receive in your inbox. For queries, email EJToday@SEJ.org. For more info, read an EJToday FAQ. Plus, follow EJToday on social media at @EJTodayNews, and flag stories of note by including the @EJTodayNews handle on your posts. And tell us how to make EJToday even better by taking this brief survey.
Want to join the EJToday team? Volunteer time commitments can vary from just an hour a month up to a daily contribution, and would involve helping to curate content of interest. To learn more, reach out to the director of publications, Adam Glenn, at sejournaleditor@sej.org.
Note: Members have additional options to choose from (you'll need your log-in info).
"Copper will play a central role in the energy transition. These startups are working on a cleaner way to extract it."
"One night in 2021, a farmer Steve Kenkel has known since childhood gave him a call. The farmer had news: there was going to be a CO2 pipeline coming through his property in Shelby County, Iowa."
"If all 15 liquefied natural gas plants in Texas and Louisiana open, reductions in overall U.S. greenhouse gas emissions would slow"
"US regulators made “significant” errors in adopting a new rule four years ago around the release of genetically modified crops, and must now strengthen oversight, a federal court ruled this week."
"Companies that profit from plastics are pushing forward laws to keep Americans hooked on disposable plastic products"
"Renewable energy in the U.S. has grown steadily over the last 20 years. Look at this chart of wind and solar expansion — you’d be hard-pressed to pick out where a Democratic administration ends and a Republican administration begins."
"Splash pads found in public parks across the United States are linked to thousands of cases of waterborne diseases that leave a calling card of diarrhea, fever and vomiting, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this week."
"Marine biologist Monica Biondo has spent more than a decade studying the multibillion-dollar market for these colorful fish, which pulls thousands of species from the ocean each year."
"Climate justice campaigners have condemned the US after the world’s largest historic greenhouse gas emitter argued against countries being legally obliged to combat the climate crisis."
"Chris Wright cites data to back his claim there is no climate crisis. Authors of the papers he cites say he is misinterpreting their work."
"President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday tapped Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, selecting a billionaire private astronaut and close associate of Elon Musk to oversee an agency closely linked to the SpaceX founder’s business."
"Mega-utility Duke Energy is about to knock down a coal plant that has run west of Charlotte, North Carolina, since 1957. Soon the company will build its largest grid battery on that spot, part of an unprecedented energy-storage construction spree."
"Louisiana has long relied on a vast levee system to rein in the Mississippi River and protect surrounding communities from flooding. But cutting off the natural flow of the river with man made barriers has been slowly killing one of the nation’s largest forested wetlands."
"Carrboro officials say Duke Energy broke state laws waging decades-long ‘deception campaign’ about fossil fuels"
"Policymakers and industry say the Midwest Hydrogen Hub will create green jobs and slash emissions, but environmentalists see a ploy to keep fossil fuels in use."