Nickel mining is key for electric vehicles. Experts say the industry can be greener

Greg Dipple wants to turn the waste from nickel mines into large-scale carbon sinks.

The idea, which he has developed over two decades, would help reduce the environmental impact of mining for metals that are highly sought after for electric vehicle batteries.

"We can see a pathway towards nickel mining in the future where it produces a net positive environmental benefit from the context of greenhouse gases," said Dipple, a professor at the University of British Columbia and founder of Carbin Minerals, an environmental services company.

Dipple's approach would use the tailings — pulverized rock byproduct that comes from extracting metals and minerals from ore — as a giant sponge for carbon in the atmosphere.

Once absorbed, the carbon would become rock and remain in the earth over time in a process known as carbon mineralization. Dipple and his colleagues have already scaled projects to the size of a football field, and have contracted with Canadian ecommerce company Shopify to sequester carbon.

But Dipple said projects like his should be the "last thing" mining companies do. Instead, he said, they should be opting to green their operations more holistically.

"That starts with renewable electricity. It includes decarbonizing the haul fleet. You look at all your operations, you make it as low carbon as you can and then the hard to abate … you take care of with your tailings," he said.

As the world moves toward renewable sources of energy, the production of batteries used for storing electricity is growing, especially for electric vehicles. Demand for nickel used in EVs is projected to grow up to 40-fold by 2040, according to figures from the International Energy Agency. 

Because of the energy-intensive processes required to extract the metals and minerals used in batteries, battery production has its own environmental footprint.

Air pollution, water contamination and the destruction of habitats are all potential side effects of mining nickel, a key metal for current battery technology. Canada is the world's sixth largest supplier of nickel.

"It's really a situation where having good environmental regulations and controls in place on the mining industry is going to make a big difference," said Maddie Stone, a journalist who covers climate change. "They can be quite dirty without the right environmental safeguards in place."

The issues are particularly pronounced outside of Canada, said Stone. Nickel mining in Russia, which produces some of the "worst" air pollution in the world, according to Stone, supplies Western automakers in Europe. Indonesia and the Philippines are also major global suppliers of the commodity.

But mining experts say Canada has stricter regulations on the industry that, coupled with the country's climate commitments, mean mining companies here are taking a more environmentally friendly approach.

Dipple's strategy is just one example of how mine operators are reducing their environmental footprint