I
The backyard of the federal police headquarters in Roraima, Brazil’s northernmost state, is littered with huge bags of cassiterite, a pitch-black, gravel-like mineral. Though less conspicuous than other items seized in a crackdown on illegal mining in the Amazon state (such as a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter painted in the colors of the Brazilian flag), cassiterite is so popular it has been nicknamed “black gold.”
Cassiterite is the main ore of tin, a mineral that has received little attention in the energy transition but is important: it is used in coatings for solar panels and lithium-ion batteries, and in solders for electronic devices such as wind turbines, mobile phones, computers and industrial alloys.
According to the International Energy Agency, demand for critical energy minerals is
Expected to nearly triple by 2030 To meet the needs of the energy transition.
An employee of the Ibama Environmental Agency holds cassiterite found in an illegal location. Garimpo In Roraima state, 15,000 people have been forced from their Yanomami lands. Photo: A. Chavez/AFP/Getty
…
Source: www.theguardian.com
