International journal of mining, reclamation and environment
Paginering:
Jaargang 16 (2002) nr. 1 pagina's 2-23
Jaar:
2002-03
Inhoud:
The use of mercury (HG) in the mining industry to amalgamate and concentrate gold probably dates back to the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, who commercialized Hg. The use of mercury in gold extraction however faced a decline to near cessation at the beginning of the present century due to the invention of cyanidation. Recently, a combination of economic and social factors mostly in developing countries has resulted in a gold rush by individual small-scale miners, for whom Hg amalgamation is a cheap, reliable and portable process. Small-scale gold mining is a source of income for many people in the world, especially in Latin America. However, there is an environmental concern because most of the gold is extracted by mercury amalgamation, leading to the posterior introduction of this metal into the ecosystems. This paper shows that mercury problems related to gold small-scale mining require the conception, design and implementation of adequate methods for mercury utilization, monitoring and mitigation of mercury emissions into the environment.
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