Japan Agency for Marine-earth Science and Technology

Junichiro Ishibashi

Ikuo Sawada

Tomokazu Saruhashi

Ken Takai

Junichi Miyazaki

Takazo Shibuya

Kentaro Nakamura

Tatsuo Nozaki

Teruhiko Kashiwabara

Katsuhiko Suzuki

Shinsuke Kawaguchi

A recovery method for recovering mineral resources from a hydrothermal fluid reservoir present beneath the ocean floor includes the steps of: (A) providing a hydrothermal fluid well by drilling a hole reaching a hydrothermal fluid reservoir from an ocean floor surface via a guide base on the ocean floor surface, and then installing a casing in the drilled hole via the guide base; (B) precipitating minerals on a mineral-culturing device by installing the mineral-culturing device on the base guide so as to cover a well head of the hydrothermal fluid well, and bringing hot water ejecting from the well head into contact with sea water on the mineral-culturing device; and (C) recovering minerals precipitated on the mineral-culturing device together with the mineral-culturing device.

Method and system for recovering ocean floor hydrothermal mineral resources

Growing community of inventors

Yokosuka, Japan

Junichiro Ishibashi