The Iceland Deep Drilling Project: Hottest Geothermal on Earth (So Far): Magma EGS Power is Born

    

     The National Energy Authority of Iceland (Orkustofnun/OS) and four of Iceland's leading energy companies: Hitaveita Suðurnesja (HS), Landsvirkjun, Orkuveita Reykjavíkur and Mannvit Engineering established the Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) in 2000 to advance geothermal energy development. The consortium is also known as “Deep Vision.”

     According to Wikipedia:

“The aim is to improve the economics of geothermal energy production. Its strategy is to look at the usefulness of supercritical hydrothermal fluids as an economic energy source. This necessitates drilling to depths of greater than 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) in order to tap the temperatures of more than 400 °C (750 °F). The drilling is at a rifted plate margin on the mid-oceanic ridge. Producing steam from a well in a reservoir hotter than 450 °C (840 °F)—at a proposed rate of around 0.67 cubic metres per second (24 cu ft/s) should be sufficient to generate around 45 MW. If this is correct, then the project could be a major step towards developing high-temperature geothermal resources.”

     The map below shows the position of Iceland along a mid-ocean ridge rift system. This is followed by a simplified geological map of Iceland showing the locations of Iceland's geothermal systems and the three areas, Krafla, Reykjanes and Hengill, of IDDP-1, IDDP-2, and the future IDDP-3:

     The first well, IDDP-1, was drilled into a magma reservoir in 2009. It was planned to be drilled to 4000 meters (about 13,000ft), but stopped when it hit magma at 2100 meters (about 6900 ft). Temperatures in the well were found to be 900 °C (1,650 °F). The well was thought to be capable of producing about 36MW of electricity if connected to the grid, but was eventually abandoned due to mechanical difficulties with equipment affected by the heat.

     The first graphic below shows the original design well schematic for IDDP-1, and the As-Built well schematic. The second graphic shows the original drilling and coring plan vs. the actual drilling and coring done for IDDP-1:

     Angela Seligman, who has been documenting IDDP in a blog series for Clean Air Task Force, gives a summary of IDDP-1 below, followed by a graphic from another source depicting the well (note that the graphic shows that a titanium-lined casing was used in the well):

     The second well, IDDP-2, was a deepened well and was drilled to 4,659 metres (15,285 ft). Drilling began in 2016 and was completed in 2017. They were hoping to reach a temperature of 500 °C (930 °F), but the final temperature ended up being 427 °C (800 °F) with a fluid pressure of 340 bars (4,900 psi).

“Core samples were taken, showing rocks at the bottom that appeared to be permeable, and fluids in supercritical conditions were successfully reached, accomplishing all of the main objectives of the drilling operation.”

     Seligman gives a summary of IDDP-2 below:

     The drilling IDDP-1 was plagued by lost circulation, which is not uncommon with geothermal wells. In this case, before reaching the target magma, the drill encountered two active hydrothermal systems where circulation was lost. The lost circulation issues were resolved with lost circulation material (LCM) and cement. The first time the well encountered the first hydrothermal system, LCM was not enough to stem the losses. Then, a decision was made to sidetrack the well, which refers to plugging the bottom of the hole with cement and coming up the hole to redrill into that section away from the original hole. The next time they encountered the hydrothermal zone, they were able to set a cement plug through it in order to slow the losses of drilling fluid.  It worked, and they were able to drill the hole deeper.

     A 2023 paper in GRC Transactions by Agustin Garbino of the University of Texas at Austin examined the details of IDDP-1 and the conclusions of the paper are given below:

“Although the first well drilled as part of the Iceland Deep Drilling Project was unsuccessful in testing supercritical fluids, it became the world’s hottest producing geothermal well with a record flowing temperature of 450°C. It proved the existence of a magma chamber at 2 km in Krafla, where temperature is estimated to be around 900°C.”

“Huenges (2017) defined enhanced geothermal systems as “geothermal reservoirs in which technologies enable economic utilization of low permeability conductive dry rocks or low productivity convective water-bearing systems by creating fluid connectivity through hydraulic, thermal, or chemical stimulation”. Because its production is believed to be a result from hydraulic and thermal cracking of a metamorphic formation heated by a magma chamber, the IDDP-1 well is considered by this definition to be the first productive Magma-EGS in the world (Friðleifsson et al., 2015, Friðleifsson et al., 2021).” 

“When considering the size of the huge magma chamber based on seismic measurement, it is believed that Krafla power plant could probably multiply its energy production by an order of magnitude from the currently installed capacity of 60 MWe (Friðleifsson et al., 2021). However, several engineering challenges need to be addressed beforehand related to casing integrity, managing of loss circulation during drilling and surface equipment design. Thermal strains acting on the casing and corrosive environments affecting wellhead and surface facilities appear to be the biggest challenges to overcome before venturing into a development of this kind.”

     A paper published in the Proceedings World Geothermal Congress in 2021 describes the implications and importance of the two wells, noting about IDDP-2:

“A major achievement of the IDDP-2 well was to demonstrate that it is possible to drill into a supercritical geothermal reservoir, while there are shallower feed points that produce subcritical fluids. Whether the mixture of the saline fluid from different depths will be capable of generating electric power remains to be seen. Nevertheless, the major success of the IDDP-2 well is the finding of primary and/or enhanced deep permeability in very hot rocks. The implication of this finding needs to be evaluated in the wider context of worldwide supercritical geothermal systems.”

     Since drilling induced hydraulic fracturing in the wells, they are considered to be enhanced geothermal wells that created an enhanced geothermal system (EGS) when water is added to the newly made reservoir. The conclusions of the paper are given below.

“The results from research on the IDDP-1 and IDDP-2 wells thus far, for the future utilization of superhot geothermal systems at supercritical conditions, have already paid off in increased knowledge and understanding. It is quite clear that deep EGS systems can be created in superhot rocks up to magmatic temperatures.  Permeable rocks are found to great depths and permeability is likely to be further enhanced by hydraulic and thermal cracking during drilling. The geothermal resource base for similar volcanic systems needs to be expanded downwards by at least 1 km. Magma EGS (MEGS) systems can be created. Supercritical saline systems are drillable and usable, if not for direct use, then definitely as deep EGS system in superhot rocks.” 

“Within the next 5 years or so the IDDP-3 well is planned to be drilled to 4-5 km depth within the Hengill geothermal system, operated by Reykjavik Energy. Estimated cost of drilling and testing can be considered similar as for IDDP-2, or about 30 m€, and to this we may add some 20 m€ for pilot tests and power plants related to all the IDDP test sites (Friðleifsson et al., 2019). In summary, total accumulated cost for the IDDP project may approach 100 m€ before its conclusion. However, developing geothermal wells that have power outputs ten times that of currently producing high-temperature wells remains an alluring prospect, made more credible by the results to date from the IDDP.”

     According to Seligman, IDDP-3 is being planned for drilling, with somewhat different goals.

“IDDP-3 is being planned in the Hengill area in southwest Iceland and is being led by Orkuveita Reykjavíkur (Reykjavík Energy), where evidence of superhot formations has been observed at about 2 km depth. The goal for IDDP-3 has been shifted slightly from the initial goal of the IDDP to focus on reaching superhot conditions. Accordingly, IDDP-3 is targeting fluid enthalpy greater than 3,000 kilojoules per kilogram (kJ/kg), rather that strictly achieving supercritical conditions.” 

     The graphic below shows some of the challenges of drilling supercritical geothermal or super-hot rock (SHR), which include extreme temperature and pressure conditions, materials challenges, and cost feasibility:

     According to the IDDP website, which does not seem to have been updated since 2022, the goal of the project is as follows:

“The main purpose of the IDDP project is to find out if it is economically feasible to extract energy and chemicals out of hydrothermal systems at supercritical conditions.”

  

References:

 

Pushing the limits of geothermal deep drilling: Exploring the potential of high-temperature hydrothermal systems in Iceland. Iceland Deep Drilling Project. Home - IDDP

Iceland Deep Drilling Project. Wikipedia. Iceland Deep Drilling Project - Wikipedia

Iceland Deep Drilling Project: a Review of the Main Challenges and Implications of Drilling the Well IDDP-1. Agustin Garbino, University of Texas at Austin. GRC Transactions, Vol. 47, 2023. 1034801.pdf

The IDDP success story – Highlights. Guðmundur Ómar Friðleifsson, Bjarni Pálsson, Björn Stefánsson, Albert Albertsson, Þór Gíslason, Einar Gunnlaugsson, Hildigunnur H. Thorsteinsson, Jónas Ketilsson, Sturla Sæther, Carsten Sörlie, Wilfred A. Elders, and Robert A. Zierenberg. Proceedings World Geothermal Congress 2020+1 Reykjavik, Iceland, April - October 2021. The IDDP Success Story - Highlights

An introduction to the next clean energy frontier: Superhot rock geothermal and successes from the Iceland Deep Drilling Project. Angela Seligman. Clean Air Task Force. September 17, 2025. An introduction to the next clean energy frontier: Superhot rock geothermal and successes from the Iceland Deep Drilling Project  – Clean Air Task Force

Common Soil Bacterium Can Digest Lignin by Reorganizing Its Carbon Metabolism: Implications for Biofuels and Bio-Manufacturing

     Phys.org describes the ability of bacteria to decompose just about everything:

“For years, scientists have marveled at bacteria's ability to digest the seemingly indigestible, including carbon from lignin, the tough, woody material that gives plants their rigidity.”

     A new study from Northwestern University shows that a common soil bacterium, Pseudomonas putida, completely reorganizes its metabolism to digest lignin. It does this by slowing down some metabolic pathways and speeding up others. The findings have potential implications for biomanufacturing and the development of lignin-based biofuels, bioplastics, and other useful chemicals.

     The paper, published in Communications Biology, provides important insights into how bacteria coordinate carbon metabolism and energy production during the digestion of lignin carbons.

     Lead author Ludmilla Aristilde described the potential implications:

"Certain microbes naturally have an ability to make precursors to valuable chemicals that are lignin-based rather than petroleum-based. But if we want to take advantage of that natural ability to develop new biological platforms, we first need to know how it works. Now, we finally have a road map."

     Bacteria are utilized to break down cellulose for the production of cellulosic biofuels. Now, they can potentially be deployed to break down lignin as well. Cellulose is the most abundant natural polymer, and lignin is the second most abundant natural polymer. When lignin is broken down, it produces a mix of chemical compounds, including phenolic acids, which could be used as renewable feedstocks for valuable chemicals. The study utilized four lignins, here known as phenolic acid substrates, on which to grow the bacteria.

     For the study, the researchers grew the bacteria on four common, lignin-derived compounds. Then they utilized “a suite of multi-omics tools—including proteomics, metabolomics and advanced carbon-tracing techniques—to map exactly how the bacteria move carbon through their metabolism.”

     They studied in detail how the bacterium changes its metabolic pathways in order to process lignin. It does this by producing more of certain enzymes and fewer of others. When the bacterium needs to digest lignin, it produces six times more ATP, which is a molecule that provides increased energy for digestion.

     When the researchers tried to tweak the process by removing bottlenecks, they found that they could mess up the balance and actually slow the process, suggesting that more needs to be learned about the bacterium’s energy and carbon metabolism mechanisms.

"Engineering strategies can often result in negative effects on the metabolism in a completely unexpected way," Aristilde said. "By speeding up the flow of one pathway, it can introduce an imbalance in energy that is detrimental to the operation of the cell."

"Before this study, we could not explain exactly the coordination of carbon metabolism and energy fluxes important in the rational design of bacterial platforms for lignin carbon processing," Aristilde said. "We just had to figure it out as we went along. Now that we have an actual roadmap, we know how to navigate the network."

     The paper goes into significant detail regarding metabolic chemistry and the different ways of analyzing that chemistry. I won’t pretend that I understand it. I only wish they had provided more information about the potential implications for lignin-derived biofuels and chemicals. There are potential implications for so-called "green chemistry," where chemicals are produced from lignin carbon rather than from petroleum carbon.

 

 

References:

 

Common soil bacterium can reorganize its metabolism to turn plant waste into power. Amanda Morris. Phys.org. September 2, 2025. Common soil bacterium can reorganize its metabolism to turn plant waste into power

Quantitative decoding of coupled carbon and energy metabolism in Pseudomonas putida for lignin carbon utilization. Nanqing Zhou, Rebecca A. Wilkes, Xinyu Chen, Kelly P. Teitel, James A. Belgrave, Gregg T. Beckham, Allison Z. Werner, Yanbao Yu & Ludmilla Aristilde. Communications Biology. Volume 8, Article number: 1310 (August 29, 2025). Quantitative decoding of coupled carbon and energy metabolism in Pseudomonas putida for lignin carbon utilization | Communications Biology

The Toxic Dangers of Burning Plastic: Low-Tech Burning is Exceptionally Dangerous

      A recent article in Undark Magazine by Beth Gardiner covers the toxic dangers of burning plastic, where this happens, and what we can do about it. I read Gardiner’s first book from 2019: Choked: The Age of Air Pollution and the Fight for a Cleaner Future, which was pretty good and interesting. She is an American journalist based in London. She has a new book out called Plastic Inc: The Secret History and Shocking Future of Big Oil’s Biggest Bet.

     I remember when people used to occasionally burn tires in outdoor bonfires since they burned hot and lasted a long time as fuel. I remember the thick black smoke they produced. I worked for a day once as a temporary assignment in a tire warehouse, and it was unpleasant due to the smell of the tires, which gave me a headache. Hopefully, no one burns tires anymore. I have read about countries touting burning plastic for fuel as a sustainable practice that eliminates solid plastic waste. This is done in incinerators with pollution control equipment in places like Sweden. Of course, incinerators have generated a huge amount of public opposition, even with pollution control equipment. These waste-to-energy plants, which burn refuse of which plastic is a component, have been proposed as an alternative to landfilling, and there is an ongoing debate about which is worse for the environment and public health.

     Gardiner first gives some data:

“About 12 percent of plastic waste is burned globally, according to a landmark study based on data through 2015. Even when done in incinerators equipped with air scrubbers and filters, such burning is linked to higher rates of premature birth, congenital abnormalities including heart and neural tube defects, and may increase cancer risk for those living nearby, studies have found.”

     She goes to Tropodo, Indonesia, where strips of plastic are used as fuel in low-tech open furnaces for a local tofu factory.  The village has been making tofu since the 1960s and currently processes 30 tons of soybeans per day. They used to use rice husks for fuel, but switched to plastic in the 1980s. The plastic in use now for fuel is cheap because it is from overseas waste, mostly from the U.S., Europe, Australia, Japan, and South Korea.

“Unsurprisingly, such burning introduces toxins into the food chain. Setyorini’s research and advocacy group, Ecoton, or Ecological Observation and Wetlands Conservation, has found microplastic fibers, filaments, and fragments in Tropodo tofu, although the group has not yet analyzed their chemical composition.”

“The researchers also found the second-highest dioxin level ever detected in an egg in Asia; the highest was in Vietnam, at a former U.S. military base tainted by historic use of the defoliant Agent Orange, where a 10-year cleanup project began in 2019.”    

     Burning the plastic also produces toxic ash, laden with dioxins and heavy metals. In the African country of Ghana, where the plastic from e-waste is burned, local eggs have tested at hundreds of times the safe limit for chlorinated dioxins, about three times higher than eggs tested at Tropodo, which were tested at 70 times the safe limit for dioxins.  

“Burning plastic can also put a cocktail of dangerous chemicals into the air, including dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, chlorinated furans, and hydrogen cyanide. That may be why, when a team publishing in the journal Environment International tested the Ghanaian e-waste workers’ blood, they found dioxins there too.”

     Small particulate matter, PM 2.5, was measured in Tropodo at nearly 20 times Indonesia’s legal limit, and 30 times the stricter American 24-hour standard.

     Gardiner next explores local kilns in Indonesia that heat limestone from below in pits to form powdery lime to be used in cement. These kilns also burn plastic for fuel.

“The plastic is piled all around, and includes diapers, stacked-up tires and pieces of brightly colored foam.”

     Many of these cement kilns are unregulated, and some companies even tout burning plastic as a green solution since it gets rid of plastic waste, or rather changes it from a solid to airborne waste and ash waste. Advocates for burning plastic in these kilns also say the very high temperatures burn up some of the more toxic gas components.

“It’s hard to know exactly how much plastic cement makers burn, since industry figures often group it under the broad heading of “alternative fuel,” a category that also includes discarded clothes, tires, wood, paper, and other garbage. A 2021 Reuters investigation reported “alternative fuel” accounted for about half the cement industry’s fuel use in Europe, and 15 percent in the United States.”

“One form that energy takes is “refuse-derived fuel,” or RDF, a mixture of packaging, other plastic waste, scrap wood, and paper that often ends up in cement kilns. More than $5.4 billion of RDF — upwards of 45 percent of which is consumed by the cement industry — is sold every year, and that market’s value is expected to double in a decade, one analysis estimated. “Governments are promoting actions to reduce the amount of materials being sent to landfills, and we are one solution,” the global sustainability director of a cement company told Grist.”

“The relentless push for new ways to make garbage go up in smoke is a natural outgrowth of industry’s long-standing effort to frame plastic pollution as nothing more than a waste management problem.”

“But that view only holds up if one disregards burning’s impact on the climate, air quality, soil, and human health — not to mention the harms wrought by unchecked production. Activists like to say incineration just moves the landfill from the ground to the sky. That sounds apt.”

    

 

References:

 

Plastic Pollution Is Bad Enough. Burning It Can Be Even Worse In places like Indonesia, plastic refuse is often burned in unregulated low-tech furnaces that pose grave health risks. Beth Gardiner. Undark Magazine. April 10, 2026. Plastic Pollution Is Bad Enough. Burning It Can Be Even Worse.

 

Warmer Streams Release More Atmospheric Carbon, Making Less Available for Food Webs, New Study Shows

  

    A new paper published in the journal Ecosphere by researchers at Northern Arizona University (NAU) shows that warming streams may release more CO2 into the atmosphere and make less available to support food webs. The research found that microbes and aquatic insects process and decompose organic matter faster in warmer water. They also found that a smaller fraction of that organic matter, such as leaf litter, supports their growth, and a bigger fraction is released as CO2.

     According to Phys.org

"Warming doesn't just speed up biological processes in streams—it changes how efficiently organisms turn carbon into biomass, with more of it being lost as CO₂," said Michael Zampini, a postdoctoral researcher at NAU and the lead author of the study.

     The researchers built a controlled stream system at The Arboretum at Flagstaff and studied it for two years.

"This system let us manipulate temperature while keeping everything else as close to a real stream as possible, which is critical for understanding how these processes actually play out in nature," said Zampini.

     The research allowed them to determine how effectively and efficiently organisms converted food into growth. They found that warmer water resulted in faster decomposition but less retention of carbon.

“Caddisflies showed a distinct thermal response, with low temperatures limiting their activity, intermediate temperatures maximizing their efficiency, and higher temperatures increasing their consumption without corresponding gains in biomass.”

"Even when consumption increases, the system becomes less efficient—more carbon goes to respiration and less to building the food web," said Jane Marks, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (Ecoss) at NAU.

"When less carbon is retained in biomass, there is less energy available to support aquatic life, which can ripple through the food web and ultimately affect fisheries, water quality, and ecosystem stability that people depend on," Marks said.

     The paper defines carbon use efficiency (CUE) as “the proportion of consumed carbon (C) retained as biomass.”

     This research is logical, straightforward, and would be generally expected, as more heat often speeds up chemical reactions. However, it importantly shows the details of heat in streams and especially how it influences the carbon metabolism of caddisflies. The study utilized carbon isotopes as tracers to measure carbon metabolism.

 

 

References:

 

Warmer streams may be draining river food webs by sending more carbon into the air. Science X staff. Phys.org. April 17, 2026. Warmer streams may be draining river food webs by sending more carbon into the air

Temperature accelerates decomposition and controls carbon use efficiency for microbes and shredding caddisflies. Michael C. Zampini, Steven A. Thomas, Benjamin J. Koch, George Koch, Paul Dijkstra, Jane C. Marks. Ecosphere. Volume 17, Issue 4. April 1, 2026. Temperature accelerates decomposition and controls carbon use efficiency for microbes and shredding caddisflies - Zampini - 2026 - Ecosphere - Wiley Online Library

Mining Ban in Minnesota is In or Out Based on Politics: Copper, Nickel, Cobalt, and Platinum Minerals: Twin Metals Project is Now Back On as 20-Year Ban is Lifted

     The U.S. needs critical minerals in order to lessen dependence on China and other countries. Some mineral deposits in the U.S. have been identified but have not been developed due to environmental concerns. This is the case in Minnesota’s mining region.

     Bloomberg reports:

“The Senate voted 50-49 to repeal a 2023 federal order that prohibited mining in an area spanning more than 200,000 acres known as Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The proposal, passed by the House in January, now heads to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it.”

     The Obama administration enacted a 20-year mining ban in the region, which the first Trump administration reversed, but the ban was reinstated by the Biden administration. The Twin Metals project has long been pursued by Duluth Metals Limited, which in 2010 initiated a partnership with Chilean mining giant Antofagasta to form Twin Metals Minnesota. The last underground mine in the region closed nearly 50 years ago, in 1967.

     Bloomberg notes:

“A plan submitted to regulators calls for a type of waste storage that limits water use and the risk of spills, along with water treatment systems and monitoring designed to protect surrounding wetlands.”

     Below are some of the uses of the minerals to be mined:

     The project plans to implement a mine tailings management method known as dry stacking, which dewaters tailings with the water being recovered and reused at the mine. One goal of dry stacking is to prevent the generation of acids from tailings. Dry stacking has been used successfully at mining projects in the U.S. and especially in Canada. The project will not involve tailings ponds or dams, which are potential sources of contamination, and there will be no risk of dam failures. Dry stacking is considered to be the best available technology (BAT) for preventing and mitigating environmental damage from mine tailings.  

     Minnesota has the world’s largest known undeveloped copper-nickel deposits. It also has some of the strictest environmental standards among U.S. states. Why would we not want to develop such a deposit? Because it is near a “wilderness area”? I would think that having a mine in an area away from people would make it less likely to impact people. While impacts on nature are important. I would think that they can be mitigated, especially as best available technologies are implemented.

     The proposed mine plans to develop a part of the Duluth Complex in Northeastern Minnesota known as the Maturi Deposit. 

     The company explains the uniqueness of the Maturi Deposit below:

“Because of the way it was formed, the minerals are more condensed in a narrow band. This allows us to mine underground and surgically extract the ore. In fact, about 80% of mining will occur below 1500 ft and about 40% will occur below 2700 ft. The Maturi deposit that we’ll mine is a contact-style mafic copper-nickel deposit. That’s different than many of the world’s copper deposits, called porphyry deposits, which represent about 90% of the world’s copper deposits and require open-pit mining.”

“Another point of difference: our continuing studies show that the tailings produced (the leftover sandy material once the metals are extracted and shipped to customers) will be non-acid generating. This is due to the geology itself and our mining method. Also, independent research confirms these findings.”

     It will be an underground mine instead of an open-pit mine. Most of the world’s copper is mined via open pits. This underground mine will have a much smaller surface footprint, 85% smaller than an open-pit mine. This deposit has been studied and pursued for over two decades. I believe it is time to develop it. It is expected to create 750 jobs in the region, with another 1500 spinoff jobs. I don’t know why the Democrats want to ban every mine and drilling project. I understand the desire to prevent environmental destruction, but not developing such projects often leads to sourcing those same in-demand minerals from sources with much lower environmental standards, essentially outsourcing environmental impact to other countries at a higher cost.

     The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S Forest Service (UFS) have opposed the project, and UFS reiterated that opposition in 2023, noting the following:

“The record for the 2016 lease consent determination and 2023 withdrawal application demonstrate that development of these mineral resources presented an unacceptable, inherent risk of serious and irreparable harm to the BWCAW natural resources,” states the Dec. 18 letter, signed by Regional Forester Antoine Dixon. “It has been thoroughly documented that the proposed mineral leasing is not a compatible use within the watershed in such proximity to the wilderness and that the forest service’s withholding of consent to the issuance of leases…would be inconsistent with the record.”

Dixon continued: “Mineral leasing could cause changes to terrestrial or aquatic habitat function due to surface destruction, noise/light/air pollution, and modification of streams, lakes, or wetlands… Changes to water quality could potentially result in adverse changes to the biological integrity of aquatic communities and to sensitive species. This in turn could adversely affect the wilderness character of the BWCAW, public use and enjoyment of water and aquatic resources, and the ability of tribes to exercise treaty rights.”

     It will likely take years before minerals are actually produced, as further regulatory hurdles are negotiated, and it remains a concern that future political administrations will reverse approvals or add requirements. However, the U.S. would do well to produce its domestic minerals.

 

 

References:

 

US Senate lifts mining ban in win for Chile billionaire clan. Marcelo Rochabrun and James Attwood. Bloomberg. April 16, 2026. US Senate lifts mining ban in win for Chile billionaire clan

Twin Metals Minnesota. Twin Metals Minnesota

Dry Stack Tailings Management. https___www.twin-metals.com_wp-content_uploads_2021_02_TMM-Dry-Stack-Fact-Sheet_FINAL_2.22.21.pdf

USFS reiterates its opposition to planned Twin Metals mine Dec. 18 letter comes in response to ongoing litigation over canceled leases. Marshall Helmberger. The Timberjay. January 9, 2026. USFS reiterates its opposition to planned Twin Metals mine - The Timberjay

Decoy Molecules Mimic Fatty Acids, Tricking Enzymes to Degrade Soil Pollutants Like Dioxin and Benzene: Potential New Soil Bioremediation Method

     A new method of utilizing decoy molecules instead of genetic engineering, which is often restricted, can degrade persistent pollutants without alteration of the degrading agent (genetic modification). Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan developed the technique, which can be effective for degrading stable aromatic compounds such as dioxin and benzene, both very dangerous to health and the ecosystem. The researchers utilized cytochrome P450, a widely distributed group of enzymes that degrade and convert substances in living organisms. The graphic below shows the general hydroxylation reaction.

     According to Phys.org:

“Cytochrome P450BM3, derived from the soil bacterium Priestia megaterium, naturally hydroxylates fatty acids but does not interact with pollutants such as dioxins. This substrate selectivity arises from the lock-and-key mechanism, which allows only molecules with a specific shape to bind to the enzyme.”

     As explained below, the target molecules are hydroxylated, but the enzyme agents are not hydroxylated, which means they can be reused, or rather continuously used in reactions:

“Decoy molecules bind to enzymes in a manner similar to fatty acids; however, their shorter chain length prevents them from reaching the active site. This configuration creates a confined reaction space that allows molecules to enter and undergo hydroxylation. Because decoy molecules are not themselves hydroxylated, they maintain their function and continue to facilitate the enzymatic reaction.”

     The researchers evaluated the biochemical effects of ten different strains of soil bacteria. The decoy molecules were found to successfully hydroxylate other toxic aromatic compounds, including benzene, toluene, xylene (BTX), and naphthalene.

“The results showed that benzene hydroxylation occurred only with particular strain-decoy combinations. The tested strains included P. megaterium, which contains cytochrome P450BM3, as well as other common soil bacteria, such as Bacillus subtilis, which possess closely related enzymes.”

     It is explained below that the method proved especially successful at degrading dioxin molecules and could be used in the bioremediation of soils contaminated with dioxin.

“Surprisingly, in the presence of decoy molecules, B. subtilis completely degraded dioxin model compounds within two hours at 45 degrees Celsius. Computational simulations demonstrated that cytochrome P450 in B. subtilis has sufficient binding capacity to accommodate both a decoy molecule and dioxin, which is a larger pollutant than benzene.”

“The findings indicate that the decoy molecule-induced hydroxylation activity in these bacteria increases the solubility of pollutants and facilitates their degradation. This mechanism could accelerate the removal of soil pollutants by supporting faster and more efficient microbial degradation.”

     The results suggest that the method could be used with many different soil bacterial strains and can be widely utilized for different pollutants after the best combinations are found.

Shoji concluded, "Our study provides a generalizable chemical strategy to unlock latent catalytic potential in ubiquitous environmental microbes, establishing a new paradigm for scalable, regulation-compatible bioremediation technologies."

     The result is that these decoy molecules can act as biocatalysts in induced biodegradation chemical reactions with contaminants via hydroxylation.

     According to the paper published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A:

“Future studies should evaluate the environmental stability, bioavailability, and practical deployability of decoy molecules in real soil matrices, as well as their environmental fate during field applications, to determine whether this strategy can be safely implemented in contaminated environments.”

References:

 

Decoy molecules trick soil bacteria into attacking persistent pollutants without genetic engineering. Science X staff. Phys.org. April 9, 2026. Decoy molecules trick soil bacteria into attacking persistent pollutants without genetic engineering

Chemical activation of native cytochrome P450s in soil-derived bacteria by external molecules enables biodegradation of aromatic pollutants. Fumiya Ito, Masayuki Karasawa, and  Osami Shoji. Journal of Materials Chemistry A. Issue 21, 2026. Chemical activation of native cytochrome P450s in soil-derived bacteria by external molecules enables biodegradation of aromatic pollutants - Journal of Materials Chemistry A (RSC Publishing)

Mexico’s Sheinbaum Administration Finally Ready to Pursue Shale Gas and Oil via Hydraulic Fracturing

      For well over a decade, Mexico has resisted tapping its shale gas and oil resources. The Eagle Ford trend in South Texas likely extends into Mexico as the Burgos Basin extension of the Western Gulf Coast Basin and can be developed. Recently, Mexican President Gloria Sheinbaum has expressed a desire to develop those resources. One reason to do it is to wean Mexico off of U.S. natural gas, which powers Mexican power plants and industry. Former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) was adamantly against allowing Mexico to engage in hydraulic fracturing for energy production. Mexico now imports far more than half of its natural gas, pipelining it in from the U.S. The supply is close and abundant, so the costs to purchase American natural gas are low.

     No concrete plans have been made public yet, and it will take time for them to be formulated and the process begun. Mexico’s state energy company PEMEX is notoriously inefficient and not likely to compete with the U.S. on well and infrastructure costs. Mexico would be wise to allow American companies in to accelerate development, but that is not seen as likely. 

     According to Morning Overview's Everett Sloan, the next steps may be as follows:

     The Burgos Basin was opened for development by private companies in 2017 but by 2019 AMLO decided against allowing hydraulic fracturing in the country. The EIA noted in 2017 that there are 3500 natural gas wells in the Burgos Basin producing from non-shale reservoirs. Those reservoirs typically have low permeability and high decline rates. Burgos Basin gas production was at a peak in 2012 at 1.2 BCF/day but by 2016 it had dropped to 0.87 BCF/day.

     Realistically, it will take years, probably several years, maybe a decade, before Mexican shale production makes an impact and reduces imports from the U.S. Demand may grow as well. This means that the U.S. gas export sales are quite safe for now and in the near-term.

     PEMEX estimates that Mexico holds more oil & gas reserves in unconventional resources like shale than in conventional resources. Proven conventional gas reserves stand at about 83 TCF, while non-conventional resources are estimated at more than 140 TCF. Mexico consumes roughly 9 BCF of natural gas per day, but produces just 2.3 BCF domestically. About 75% to 80% comes from the U.S., mainly from Texas.

     According to OilPrice.com’s Julianne Geiger:

“Sheinbaum said a scientific committee will be formed to evaluate available technologies, including the use of less harmful chemicals and recycled water. The group is expected to deliver recommendations within two months.”

“Pemex expects to increase domestic production to just over 4 billion cubic feet per day by 2030, with a longer-term target of 8.6 billion cubic feet over the next decade. That outlook includes potential contributions from non-conventional sources.”

     Mexico continues to build new combined-cycle natural gas plants, with seven currently under construction or ready to come online and five more planned.

     As the graph below shows, Mexico’s prices for pipelined U.S. gas have mostly remained under $3 per MCF and sometimes closer to $2. It has been a good deal for Mexico and the U.S. and will likely remain so for years to come.

     The Burgos Basin is thought to contain the largest unconventional reserves in the country. The Burgos Basin butts right up against EOG’s Dorado Play in Webb County, Texas, announced in 2020, which produces from the Eagle Ford Shale and the Austin Chalk.

 

References:

 

Sheinbaum backs Mexico energy shift to cut reliance on US natural gas. Everett Sloane. Morning Overview. April 10, 2026. Sheinbaum backs Mexico energy shift to cut reliance on US natural gas

Mexico’s shale-rich Burgos Basin opens to private investment for the first time. Energy Information Administration. August 22, 2017. Mexico’s shale-rich Burgos Basin opens to private investment for the first time - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Mexico’s Sheinbaum Weighs Fracking Return to Cut U.S. Gas Dependence. Julianne Geiger. OilPrice.com. April 9, 2026. Mexico’s Sheinbaum Weighs Fracking Return to Cut U.S. Gas Dependence | OilPrice.com

End of Fracking Freeze? Mexico Eyes 141 Tcf in Unconventional Resources to Slash U.S. Imports. Christopher Lenton. Natural Gas Intelligence. April 9, 2026. End of Fracking Freeze? Mexico Eyes 141 Tcf in Unconventional Resources to Slash U.S. Imports

Mexico Basins Overview. 12 Mexico Gas Summit. 2026. Mexico Shale Summit Burgos Sabinas Picachos Burros Basin