Latest update April 23rd, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 19, 2013 News
In Guyana’s quest to become a “greener” economy, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud, yesterday welcomed the introduction of new technology which abandons the use of the harmful element, mercury, in the gold mining sector.
With the help of Canadian firm, Mulgravisan Ventures (Guyana) Inc., this might very well be possible as the company’s Chief Operations Officer; Vern Matkovich promoted a three-piece machinery that separates unwanted materials from the precious metal.
Matkovich said that his company had brought the New Zealand-originated machinery to be used by the firm in Guyana. He said that he felt that the technology would be applicable to local mining since the machine “offers an efficient way of recovering gold and also offers a mining method that doesn’t involve the use of mercury.”
Matkovich described the apparatus as a screening plant. The first part of the machine, he said, washes, tumbles and removes the oversized material which is a key part of the recovery process. The second part he said is cleaning up the material without the use of mercury.
“The system reduces the size and bulk of the concentrate to a point where you have a small amount which still has impurities in it but is able to be handled on the smaller machine.” The last part of the apparatus further separates the impurities and by the end of the process pure gold is recovered.
Matkovich also highlighted that the apparatus would manage 50 cubic metres per hour and is available in various sizes to suit the need of the miner and the terrain. The machine was valued at a “couple hundred thousand US dollars,” but pricing could be worked around, Matkovich encouraged.
He added that the various parts of the machinery could be used at any stage; which means that a miner could continue to recover gold using the current recovery method, but could choose to stick in any piece of the apparatus to function at certain stages of the process.
Minister Persaud said that he is pleased with the company’s initiative and endorses the mercury free technology. “We have seen overtime the responsible use of mercury in mining, but we believe that we can have greater levels of efficiency recovery and at the same time have a closer eye and over view of the environment in the direction of being mercury free.”
He said that it is always welcoming when miners and companies invest towards mercury free mining methods. He further asserted that the decision is left with miners who will decide what is best for them.
He said, “We are not saying you should go with a particular brand, but rather to look at what is cost effective, what’s good for the environment and what makes good mining and business sense.”
Since the machine has been used in other parts of the world and its introducer has ample experience with it, Persaud said that he believes that it would do well for the mining sector and he hopes that the company would roll out their initiative expeditiously.
Apart from that, the Minister registered his commitment to considering incentives for miners who move toward mercury free technology. He said numerous discussions with individual miners and concerned organizations have already taken place and there would be continuance in that direction.
Guyana has been for some time seeking to do away with the use of mercury citing its adverse effect on the environment and threat posed to human health. Last year Minister Persaud highlighted Government’s recognition of the environmental and human health risks of mercury and pollution to the environment and was seeking to phase out its use.
International pressure played a major part in Government moving toward the doing away of mercury because it is toxic to both humans and the environment. There had been rejection of the move by especially small miners as gold prices continued to reach record levels. Mercury is the easiest way to extract gold.
The mercury ravages the nervous system of miners and their families. It also travels thousands of miles in the atmosphere and moves up the food chain through fish.
The number of persons killed or disabled by mercury is impossible to determine, experts had stated. But tests on miners in Guyana, Indonesia, the Philippines, Colombia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Brazil found mercury levels up to 50 times above World Health Organization limits, according to a 2006 U.N. report.
Symptoms such as reduced motor skills, fatigue and weight loss are routine at mining sites, the U.N. said. Gold shop owners also breathe the mercury vapour they burn off.
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