Dr. Dave Lawie: Critical Materials Gap, Mining R&D & Copper Tech Breakthroughs

Podcast: The Prospector News Podcast · Michael Fox

Opublikowano: 2026-09-07

Michael Fox and Dr. Dave Lawie chief Geoscientist at Imdex unpack the widening gap between today’s critical materials reality and government ambitions, spotlighting the resurgence of industrial policy as the U.S., Canada and Argentina lead new mining capex while red‑green tape and federal–state tensions (e.g., Minnesota nickel) slow progress. They reveal mining’s innovation deficit—only ~1% of revenue to R&D versus other sectors—and explore game‑changing technologies from eutectic solvents for e‑waste metals to Rio Tinto’s Nuton bio‑heap leach that can produce 99.99% copper cathode at the mine gate, potentially cutting smelting, wa...