Next Tuesday Nov 11th the Ely Climate Group will meet at 4pm in in the renovated Community Center (formerly the Senior Center). We will be in the smaller room on the left as you enter. This month we welcome our old friend Jeff Hanson from Babbitt. Jeff is the founder of Clearwater Biologic LLC and is working on inexpensive novel ways to clean sulfate discharges from mine waste water. His topic is “Green Steel with Clean Water”. As usual this will be both in person and by zoom, here is the zoom link:
Topic: Ely Climate Group meeting 11/11/2025
Time: Nov 11, 2025 04:00 PM Central Time
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86106780568?pwd=9VgOis33EzIY6pIB8HFVL2vZNIHeJx.1
Meeting ID: 861 0678 0568
Passcode: 083393
Some years ago Jeff talked at Tuesday Group to tell us about a new and inexpensive technique for cleaning sulfate from mine waste water. Sulfates adversely affect wild rice, and make mercury bio-available for fish. Although Minnesota has laws limiting the amout of sulfate allowed in mine drainage these laws are not enforced. Mine owners claim the costs to control sulfates is so high that it would cause a shut down. Even Jeff’s cheaper option is more expensive than doing nothing at all. Jeff has been active creating a demonstration project with funding from LCCMR to show that the costs and benefits work at scale. In fact the material cleaned from the water is in itself a saleable useful product.
There was an article in the Timberjay in September of this year that you can find reprinted here: https://clearwaterbiologic.com/affordable-sulfate-control-coming-soon/ A longer and more complete summary from the Quetico Superior Wilderness News is here:
https://queticosuperior.org/new-technology-may-fight-sulfate-pollution-near-bwcaw/
Alternatively you may prefer to read Aaron Brown’s article that you can find here: https://clearwaterbiologic.com/sulfate-debate-yields-hard-truths-and-hope-for-iron-range-jobs/
Lastly Jeff has done a TED talk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQwJ6BUyBZ0
Jeff is also part of a new non-profit called Northern Minnesota New Iron and Clean Energy (NICE) which is focused on sustainable, clean energy-based, climate and environmental solutions for our region. “Using Minnesota’s clean energy, iron resources and technology to manufacture climate solutions that benefit communities and the environment.”
You can find more information here: https://www.northernmnnice.org/our-principles
Ely Climate Group held meetings on Green Iron and Steel in 2022. There have been many changes since then. Come to get an update!
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