Introduction of Mercury-Free Gold Extraction to Small-Scale Miners in the Cabo Delgado Province in Mozambique
| Autor: | Birgitte Stoffersen, Ivan Zahinos Ruiz, Rasmus Køster-Rasmussen, Leoncio D Na-Oy, Asta Selloane Sekamane, Peter W.U. Appel |
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| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
mercury
Health Toxicology and Mutagenesis Geochemistry chemistry.chemical_element 010501 environmental sciences 01 natural sciences lcsh:TD1-1066 03 medical and health sciences chemistry.chemical_compound 0302 clinical medicine borax Small-scale gold mining lcsh:Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering Mozambique 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Amalgamation Case Study Borax Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health health Mercury 030210 environmental & occupational health Pollution Mercury (element) small-scale gold mining chemistry Health amalgamation Environmental science Gold production Gold extraction |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Health & Pollution Journal of Health and Pollution, Vol 8, Iss 19, Pp 1-5 (2018) Stoffersen, B, Appel, P W U, Na-Oy, L D, Sekamane, A S, Ruiz, I Z & Køster-Rasmussen, R 2018, ' Introduction of mercury-free gold extraction to small-scale miners in the Cabo Delgado province in Mozambique ', Journal of Health and Pollution, vol. 8, no. 19, 180909 . https://doi.org/10.5696/2156-9614-8.19.180909 |
| ISSN: | 2156-9614 |
| Popis: | Background. The majority of small-scale gold miners worldwide, including those in Mozambique, use mercury to extract gold. Over the last fifty years, gold production from small-scale mining has been accelerating and consequently the amount of mercury released to the environment has increased dramatically, causing major global health problems. In 2018, a team from the Danish non-governmental organization Diálogos introduced the mercury-free gold extraction method in the Cabo Delgado province in Mozambique in the villages of Waqueia and Nanlia. Objectives. The objective of this project was to teach local miners this method to reduce mercury pollution. An additional objective was to compare the local gold extraction method and the mercury-free gold extraction method in terms of gold recovery. The hypothesis was that the level of gold recovery would be higher with the mercury-free method compared to the locally used amalgamation method. Materials and Methods. An experimental study comparing the two gold extraction methods was carried out where local miners processed gold-bearing ore using their standard procedures with the amalgamation method and the Diálogos team processed an equivalent amount of gold-bearing ore with the mercury-free gold extraction method. The tests were carried out once at each mining site. Results. Under even circumstances in a controlled setting, the mercury-free method yielded up to 78% more gold than the amalgamation method normally used by the miners. Conclusions. The strengths of the mercury-free gold extraction method include low costs, higher gold yield, benign environmental impact, legality and needed chemicals are more readily available compared with the amalgamation method. However, the mercury-free method may be more time consuming than the amalgamation method, especially for beginners. Borax is typically available in developed urban areas, as it is commonly used in the welding industry and by jewelers, but can be hard to find in more remote villages. Competing Interests. The authors declare no competing financial interests. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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