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Gold flake & platinum sand in batea - Co
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Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM):

 

ASGM is composed of approximately 15-20 million primarily informal subsistence miners oftentimes using rudimentary, unsafe, and inefficient mineral processing methods in over 70 countries (World Bank 2019). Because it is widely available and trusted, mercury is commonly used to concentrate fine gold through amalgamation (Esdaile and Chalker 2019). This practice results in ASGM accounting for approximately 37% of all annual anthropogenic mercury pollution (EPA 2020). This is an issue because mercury is a potent neurotoxin that is not readily sequestered into a natural reservoir meaning it lingers and accumulates in our air, water, and soil. Mercury, in even faint of concentrations, has severe negative impacts on the health and well-being of all life. It's presence impacts us all and has been considered a growing public health crisis (Esdaile and Chalker 2019).

Sans mercury, ASGM would be a fruitful economic driver for the millions lacking an alternative source of income that also minimizes gold mining's footprint because it generally exploits smaller, higher grade deposits. Because miners primarily produce gold to support themselves and their dependents, we believe the goal of mercury elimination necessitates the increased availability of mercury-free gold concentrators that enable miners to be safer and more productive than when using mercury. Although there are a variety of mercury-free gold concentrators, there lacks an independent and thorough evaluation of these processes. This bars their ability to be effectively deployed and scaled (Teschner et al 2017). We at Mercury Free Mining (MFM), a 501(c)-3 non-profit, are aiming to eliminate mercury through our research on mercury alternatives, by increasing awareness of the issue, and by rallying the support required to implement alternatives globally.

Mercury Free Mining's Focuses

Research

I contribute to our current work designing & executing our distinct and transparent method for holistically evaluating and implementing effective, mercury-free gold concentration technology and processes. I helped develop our research model involving randomly sampling ore from artisanal gold mines and processing these samples to gather data on various key performance indicators for a given technology. These KPI's include, but are not limited to, throughput, recovery, and resultant grade with respect to the mineralogic character of the ores. I use this data to synthesize how the tested processors or methods can then be optimally deployed. We are using these encyclopedic syntheses to confidently deploy the most effective mercury alternatives while working with miners and like-minded organizations to facilitate sustained, long-term mercury elimination.

By pioneering this research initiative, we will empower ourselves and others to make more effective and informed decisions that enable safer, more effective methods of gold concentration, thus helping to cultivate the decline of mercury use within ASGM.

Awareness

With our founder, Toby Pomeroy, and board of directors both recognized jewelry industry experts, we also raise awareness about mercury, ASGM, and the opportunity to support responsible resourcing. We aim to nurture a purpose-driven jewelry industry committed to promoting mercury-free gold mining. I contribute to these efforts by operating our social media where we inform, engage with jewelers, and rally support for work. Together, with our testing, we are uniquely addressing both the demand for mercury-free gold and contributing to the supply-side solutions. This is also my opportunity to highlight the scientific and engineering efforts contributing to our goal of mercury elimination.

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References:

Cabezas, Yamile Isabel Casasbuenas. A Socio-Technical Assessment of Mercury and Gold Losses in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) Operations in Colombia. Diss. Colorado School of Mines, 2020.

de Haan, Jorden, Kirsten Dales, and James McQuilken. "Mapping Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining to the Sustainable Development Goals." (2020).

Esdaile, Louisa J., and Justin M. Chalker. "The mercury problem in artisanal and small‐scale gold mining." Chemistry–A European Journal 24.27 (2018): 6905-6916.

“Mercury Emissions: The Global Context.” EPA (b), Environmental Protection Agency, 28 Jan. 2020, www.epa.gov/international-cooperation/mercury-emissions-global-context.

Teschner, Benjamin, et al. "How efficient are they really? A simple testing method of small-scale gold miners’ gravity separation systems." Minerals Engineering 105 (2017): 44-51.

World Bank (Washington, DC). 2019 State of the Artisanal and Small-scale Mining Sector. World Bank, 2019.

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