What is so controversial about cobalt mining?

Is artisanal mining legal in Congo?

Under DRC law, artisanal miners are only permitted to work in government-designated zones and must be members of approved cooperatives. Yet the law is not enforced. Most artisanal miners work outside the designated zones, in pits and tunnels dug with rudimentary tools, on concessions owned by mining multinationals.

Is iPhone a cobalt?

Apple-designed batteries found in iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, and many other products represent a significant majority of the company's use of cobalt.

Is cobalt bad to touch?

* Cobalt should be handled as a CARCINOGEN--WITH EXTREME CAUTION. * Cobalt may cause a skin allergy. If allergy develops, very low future exposure can cause itching and a skin rash. * Exposure to Cobalt dust can irritate the skin, eyes, nose and throat.

How dirty is cobalt mining?

Cobalt is fast turning from a miracle metal to a deadly chemical as toxic dumping is devastating landscapes, polluting water, and contaminating crops. High concentrations of cobalt have even been linked to the death of crops and worms, which are vital for soil fertility.

What are the dark side of cobalt mining?

Child labour, fatal accidents and violent clashes between artisanal miners and security personnel of large mining firms are recurrent within the DRC's cobalt mining landscape. Efforts to meet the demand exerted by EVs have been focused on increasing the cobalt supply.

How much cobalt is in a Tesla battery?

The cheaper Model Y cars (2 wheel drive) use LFP batteries that contain no Cobalt. Half the cars that Tesla make use the LFP chemistry. The remaining batteries Tesla use contain roughly 3% Cobalt by weight.

How much cobalt is in a phone battery?

That is because cobalt is one of the main components in our cellphones - in our cellphone batteries. And in a lot of ways, cobalt made our cellphones possible. GARCIA: Your phone has about 8 grams of cobalt in it - 8 grams. And when you put it together, it's about the size of a Mike and Ike.

Will we run out of cobalt?

This tells us how many years of production they could meet with their current reserves. One point to make clear: the world will not run out of cobalt. The world has about 46 years' worth of known reserves.

Is Tesla going cobalt-free?

Tesla has changed its tune and said in April that nearly half of its vehicles sold in the first three months of the year do not include nickel or cobalt.

Are children still mining cobalt?

The exact nature of child labor in cobalt mines differs from site to site. Generally, children excavate in ditches, work in rivers, turn and sort the metal and haul heavy materials. If children are too young to work alone, they work with their mothers, helping with digging or sorting.

Is there cobalt in phones?

Cobalt is one of the most important raw materials used to make batteries for smartphones, tablets and e-cars. About two thirds of cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

What does China do with cobalt?

80% of the DRC's cobalt output is owned by Chinese companies, refined in China, and then sold to battery makers around the world.

Does Apple use Congo?

Most cobalt is produced as a by-product of copper or nickel mining, but artisanal miners in southern Congo exploit deposits near the surface that are rich in cobalt. A quarter of all cobalt used in Apple products came from recycled material in 2022, up from 13% a year earlier, Apple said.

Can cobalt in batteries be recycled?

The electrolysis at constant potential appears particularly suitable for cobalt recycling as cobaltite in new batteries, with a yield of 100%.

Does Apple use cobalt?

The vast bulk of the cobalt used by Apple in its products — including the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, and many other products — was developed for its batteries.

Can you breathe in cobalt?

There are three ways that cobalt can cause poisoning. You can swallow it, breathe it into your lungs, or have it come in prolonged contact with your skin. Cobalt poisoning can also occur from the wear and tear of some cobalt/chromium metal-on-metal hip implants.

Do people eat cobalt?

Trace amounts of cobalt are found in most foods. Foods high in vitamin B-12 are the only source of cobalt used by the body. It's best to take cobalt as part of vitamin B-12.

Is cobalt toxic in jewelry?

Hypoallergenic: Doesn't contain harmful alloys, like nickel for example, which is known for causing allergic reactions on the skin. Bio-Compatible: Since it is a natural metal, cobalt can easily be tolerated by the human body. As a matter of fact, it has been used for medical purposes for many years now.

Are cobalt mines radioactive?

The environmental costs of cobalt mining activities are also substantial. Southern regions of the DRC are not only home to cobalt and copper, but also large amounts of uranium. In mining regions, scientists have made note of high radioactivity levels.

Is cobalt mining radioactive?

Particles emitted during cobalt mining consists radioactive emissions, cancer-causing particles, and particles which may cause vision problems, vomiting and nausea, heart problems, and Thyroid damage.

Can batteries be made without cobalt?

MIT researchers have now designed a battery material that could offer a more sustainable way to power electric cars. The new lithium-ion battery includes a cathode based on organic materials, instead of cobalt or nickel (another metal often used in lithium-ion batteries).

Does Apple use cobalt from Congo?

And more than 70 percent of the world's cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Apple said it will use 100 percent cobalt in all its in-house-designed batteries, which CEO Tim Cook said is because 'great technology should be great for our users and for the environment. '

What does Apple say about cobalt mining?

All tech companies use cobalt for their batteries. However, cobalt mining often involves child labour. In order to go carbon neutral by 2030, and to source their cobalt responsibly, Apple has announced that they will only use 100% recycled cobalt from 2025.

Who controls most of the cobalt in the world?

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has long been the world's largest cobalt producer, accounting for 73% of global output in 2022.

Is cobalt better than lithium?

Nickel-based lithium-ion batteries have been shown to have a higher energy density than cobalt-based batteries, which means they can store more energy in a smaller space. This could lead to the development of smaller and more efficient batteries.

Do Apple batteries contain cobalt?

In 2021, 13 percent of the cobalt used in its device batteries came from 100 percent recycling. In 2022 that number rose to 25 percent. Apple says it plans to have 100 percent of its cobalt requirements supplied from recycled sources in 2025.

What can replace cobalt in batteries?

Replacing problematic and scarce cobalt with safer and more abundant elements, such nickel, manganese and silicon, could mitigate some issues with current lithium-ion batteries.

Is there gold in phone battery?

Sure. There's a tiny bit of gold in most electronics, as it's widely used in the wires that bond integrated circuits to their packages, and as a very thin “flash” coating on connectors to help prevent corrosion.

Are cobalt batteries safe?

In addition, cobalt in a lithium ion battery creates a significant and unavoidable risk of fires. Even when inactive or in standby, cobalt batteries spontaneously ignite, whether they be shoddy hoverboards or high-end, luxury electric vehicles.

How much of an EV battery is cobalt?

A typical EV battery has about 8 kilograms of lithium, 14 kilograms of cobalt, and 20 kilograms of manganese, although this can often be much more depending on the battery size – a Tesla Model S' battery, for example, contains around 62.6 kg (138 pounds) of lithium.

Can anything replace cobalt?

The new alternative is made up of a combination of lithium, nickel, manganese, silicon, and oxygen. The researchers said these elements are “far more common and less problematic elements to produce and work with.”

Does pure cobalt exist on Earth?

Pure cobalt does not occur on Earth, although cobalt-bearing minerals are common globally. Cobalt is often mined as a byproduct of nickel and copper. Cobalt is largely mined in Kinshasa (the Congo), but also in several other countries including China, Russia, and Canada.

Is cobalt rare earth?

In other words, the exploitable reserves of rare earths are much less critical than those of many other strategic metals. Note that some other metals such as lithium and cobalt used in lithium-ion batteries are not rare earths.

Does Samsung use cobalt?

The South Korean company says it sourced the recycled cobalt from lithium-ion batteries that were discarded by its partners during the battery manufacturing process. The rare earth elements were recovered from magnets discarded during manufacturing or from other products at the end of life, the company said.

What color of Tesla is free?

Tesla has changed the standard, freely included color for its Model 3 and Model Y cars to Midnight Silver. The change, spotted by Electrek, comes after more than three years of White being the standard color for Model 3 and Y (Tesla made the switch from Black back in 2019).

Why is cobalt free?

Next-generation batteries could go organic, cobalt-free for long-lasting power. Swapping out cobalt for an organic compound in lithium-ion battery cathodes could help speed the global conversion to electric vehicles. In the switch to “greener” energy sources, the demand for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries is surging ...

Is iPhone a cobalt?

Apple-designed batteries found in iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, and many other products represent a significant majority of the company's use of cobalt.

Is it bad to mine cobalt?

The mining industry that extracts this resource in that country is known to utilize child labor and impose working conditions that have been likened to slavery. Mining cobalt also results in local environmental degradation, including water pollution and habitat loss.

Is cobalt mining unethical?

The issue of exploitative cobalt mining practices isn't only one that concerns the human rights abuses of the Congolese people, but also the ecological destruction that they'll have to deal with for centuries to come.

Is cobalt safe to touch?

* Cobalt should be handled as a CARCINOGEN--WITH EXTREME CAUTION. * Cobalt may cause a skin allergy. If allergy develops, very low future exposure can cause itching and a skin rash.

Are iphones cobalt free?

As of 2022, Apple was already using about 25% recycled cobalt in its batteries, up from 13% the year before. And as the new release lays out, in just a few years, all the cobalt in all “Apple-designed batteries” will be from recycled sources.

Is Apple or Samsung more ethical?

While Apple scores high on overall longevity, updates, and innovations toward sustainability, Samsung scores higher in repair, energy efficiency and after-sales networks. In the end, it depends on how long a consumer chooses to use a device. Any steps taken by OEMs to support this endeavor matter most.

Where does Tesla get its cobalt?

Where does Tesla get all the cobalt for their car batteries? Cobalt is a troubling resource. The bulk of it comes from the Congo where child labor is often associated with its mining. Tesla has begun a program to eliminate it from their batteries.

Why is cobalt a problem?

Exposure to cobalt may cause cancer. Workers may be harmed from exposure to cobalt and cobalt-containing products. The level of harm depends upon the dose, duration, and work being done.

How much cobalt is in a Tesla battery?

The cheaper Model Y cars (2 wheel drive) use LFP batteries that contain no Cobalt. Half the cars that Tesla make use the LFP chemistry. The remaining batteries Tesla use contain roughly 3% Cobalt by weight.

How much cobalt is in an iPhone battery?

At the same time, Apple also needs the metal for the batteries of its mobile devices. However, just 8g of cobalt is needed to produce a lithium-ion based smartphone battery, while car batteries contain an average of 21kg.

Does iPhone 15 use cobalt?

🔄 Each battery in the iPhone 15 line incorporates 100% recycled cobalt, marking a significant step towards sustainability in electronics production.

Will we run out of cobalt?

This tells us how many years of production they could meet with their current reserves. One point to make clear: the world will not run out of cobalt. The world has about 46 years' worth of known reserves.

Is cobalt infinitely recyclable?

Cobalt is infinitely recyclable itself. Recycled cobalt currently provides around 10% of worldwide needs.

Is cobalt in all phones?

The batteries in almost every smartphone, tablet, laptop, and electric vehicle made today cannot recharge without Kolwezi. The cobalt found in the dirt here provides maximum stability and energy density to rechargeable batteries, allowing them to hold more charge and operate safely for longer periods.

Do smart phones use cobalt?

Cobalt is one of the most important raw materials used to make batteries for smartphones, tablets and e-cars. About two thirds of cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

How rare is cobalt poisoning?

Cobalt toxicity is a relatively rare diagnosis and may be challenging to identify in the typical clinical setting, such as the emergency room or outpatient clinic. The signs and symptoms associated with toxicity are seen in many more commonly diagnosed diseases.

Is cobalt naturally blue?

In its natural raw state, cobalt isn't actually blue. It's a burnished silver. The vibrant blue is only obtained when processed and heated to extreme temperatures. Chinese craftsmen were using smalt to color their blue and white porcelain as early as the eighth century.

How ethical is cobalt mining?

Is cobalt poisoning a real thing?

Can cobalt be ethically sourced?

Is cobalt blue glass toxic?

How is cobalt mined ethically?

What is so controversial about cobalt mining?

The issue is that, according to the United Nations, more than 70 percent of the world's supply of cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where there are many documented cases of child labor and hazardous working conditions.