Abstract
Several artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sites in Colombia were located and sampled. At each ASGM site, tailings samples were collected and analyzed. Establishing rapport with mining stakeholders and analyzing the samples allowed our team to draw conclusions about the inefficiency of mercury-use in gold extraction and the superior efficiency of centrifugal and gravimetric methods for reprocessing the mining residues produced by artisanal gold miners.
Zusammenfassung
Es wurden mehrere kleine und kleinste Goldabbaue (ASGM) in Kolumbien lokalisiert und beprobt. An jedem ASGM-Standort wurden Bergeproben entnommen und analysiert. Durch die Zusammenarbeit mit Interessenvertretern aus dem Bergbau und die Analyse der Proben konnte unser Team Rückschlüsse auf die Ineffizienz der Quecksilberverwendung bei der Goldextraktion und die überlegene Effizienz der zentrifugalen und gravimetrischen Aufbereitungsverfahren zur Wiederaufbereitung der vom Klein- und Kleinstbergbau produzierten Bergbauabfälle ziehen
Resumen
Se localizaron y muestrearon varios sitios de minería de oro artesanal y en pequeña escala (ASGM) en Colombia. En cada sitio de ASGM se recogieron y analizaron muestras de residuos. El establecimiento de una relación con los interesados en la minería y el análisis de las muestras permitieron a nuestro equipo sacar conclusiones sobre la ineficiencia del uso de mercurio en la extracción de oro y la eficacia superior de los métodos centrífugos y gravimétricos para el reprocesamiento de los residuos mineros producidos por la minería artesanal de oro
抽象
确定了哥伦比亚几个手工小金矿(ASGM)的位置并取样。在每个小金矿(ASGM)采场,采集和分析尾矿样品。与矿场利益方的交流报告和样品分析使我们团队得出结论:矿场黄金提炼的汞利用率很低,而离心法和重量法再处理手工小金矿残余物效率很高。
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank all of the entities that collaborated in the preparation of this work, especially the Institute of Minerals—Cimex of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, the Mayor of the municipality of Andes—Antioquia, Engineer John Jairo Mejía, and his staff, and the members of the Mining Board (Mesa Minera) of the Santa Rita region, who allowed us the visit to treatment plants and to take samples. Finally, the authors express their gratitude to the journal’s anonymous reviewers for their great dedication, and the Guest Editor, Dr. Rafael Fernández Rubio, for his altruistic and selflessness that undoubtedly improved the quality of this manuscript.
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Baena, O.J.R., Aristizábal, G., Pimentel, M.S. et al. Waste Management and the Elimination of Mercury in Tailings from Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining in the Andes Municipality of Antioquia, Colombia. Mine Water Environ 40, 250–256 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-020-00728-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-020-00728-0
Keywords
- Clean technologies
- Gravimetric and centrifugal concentration
- Sustainability
- Mining residues
- Informal mining