The myth of gravity concentration to eliminate mercury use in artisanal gold mining

Martinez, Gerardo; Baena, Óscar Jaime Restrepo; Veiga, Marcello M.

doi:10.1016/j.exis.2021.01.002

Cited by 19 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…De acuerdo a (Martinez et al, 2021), la minería de oro artesanal y en pequeña escala (MAPE) continúa expandiéndose rápidamente debido al aumento del precio global del oro y los impactos económicos del COVID-19. Esta expansión de la MAPE ha generado preocupaciones sobre el uso de mercurio y ha aumentado el número de proyectos diseñados para reducir o eliminar el uso de mercurio en la MAPE en muchos países en desarrollo.…”

Section: Antecedentesunclassified

Assessment on the flow and vulnerability of water footprint network of Beijing city, China

Ding

2021

Journal of Cleaner Production

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Section: Antecedentesunclassified

Assessment on the flow and vulnerability of water footprint network of Beijing city, China

Ding

2021

Journal of Cleaner Production

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“…Meanwhile, some of the alternative Hg-free mineral processing technologies that have been successfully utilized to alleviate environmental impacts in AGM, currently in parts of South America, could be adopted in many of the gold-rich developing nations. Methods including gravity separation, which isolates minerals based on differences in densities, and the Knelson concentrator [174,[215][216][217] could be used as alternatives in Hg mitigation.…”

Section: Conclusion and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of Metallic Mercury in Artisanal Gold Mining by Amalgamation: A Review of Temporal and Spatial Trends and Environmental Pollution

Donkor,

Ghoveisi,

Bonzongo

2024

Minerals

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The introduction of mercury (Hg) into the environment by anthropogenic activities has resulted in negative implications for ecosystem functions and human health. Unlike the legacy of huge environmental pollution left by historic gold rushes in several developed countries, gold-rich nations in the developing world are currently witnessing what could qualify as a “new gold rush”, conducted primarily by small-scale mining operators and characterized by the use of metallic Hg (Hg0) in the amalgamation process to extract gold from crude ores. Once introduced into the environment, Hg0 can undergo biogeochemical transformations to produce Hg species such as methyl-Hg, with well-established adverse impacts on living organisms. This review summarizes published data on both historical and recent trends of the use of Hg0 in artisanal gold mining (AGM) on a global scale and emphasizes the impacts of AGM on the environment. To achieve this, we used citations from research conducted in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, obtained from several search engines and databases. Our findings show that, in addition to the well-known environmental and human health adverse effects of gold mining with Hg0, gold extraction by the Hg amalgamation technique is boosting the economy in parts of Africa, South America, and Asia. Unfortunately, this appealing aspect of AGM may not be easily halted, pending the creation of alternative employment. Therefore, there is a clear need for the development of safe and affordable gold extraction and purification technologies. Ultimately, the growth of this specific economic sector should be regulated to help protect both the environment and human health. Information compiled in this review should help to (i) improve the mapping of AGM-impacted soil and aquatic systems on a global scale and (ii) stimulate discussions and research on how to take down current barriers to the development and implementation of safe AGM methods.

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“…Quando a propriedade diferenciadora dos minerais presentes no minério é a densidade, como na concentração de ouro aluvionar, utilizam-se equipamentos de concentração gravítica por ação de força da gravidade ou por forças centrífugas, considerando ainda o tamanho e formas destas partículas, como calha, jigue e concentradores centrífugos [2,3], favorecidos ainda por serem menos onerosos e mais ecológicos [4]. Variáveis como o grau de liberação do ouro, o formato das partículas, a porcentagem de sólidos na polpa a ser processada, sua viscosidade e a distribuição granulométrica devem ser consideradas de acordo com o método de concentração gravítica utilizado [5].…”

Section: Metodologiaunclassified

Caracterização de minério de ouro aluvionar com o uso do concentrador Falcon

Ricardo¹,

Papini²,

Góes³

2021

Tecnol. Metal. Mater. Min.

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The myth of gravity concentration to eliminate mercury use in artisanal gold mining

Cited by 19 publications

References 40 publications

Assessment on the flow and vulnerability of water footprint network of Beijing city, China

Assessment on the flow and vulnerability of water footprint network of Beijing city, China

Use of Metallic Mercury in Artisanal Gold Mining by Amalgamation: A Review of Temporal and Spatial Trends and Environmental Pollution

Caracterização de minério de ouro aluvionar com o uso do concentrador Falcon

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