Gold is one of the most-used metals in jewellery making. Over the last half-century, more than 15 million artisanal and small-scale miners worldwide have relied on mercury usage to capture gold from soil and sediments efficiently, yet local miners and the environment as well as the rest of us pay the price. World Health Organization (WHO) pointed out that constant exposure to mercury can trigger neural, reproductive and immune system devastation. On top of that, gold mining as the second largest source of mercury pollution in the world, following coal combustion, has emanated toxic vapors and micro-particles that transported globally on winds and ocean currents.
Invited by the Ghana National Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners Association (GNASSM), non-profit organisation Mercury Free Mining (MFM) works hand in hand to test the GOLDROP gold separating processor with the University of Mines and Technology, which potentially provide artisanal miners with a mercury-free alternative to separate gold and eventually end the use of toxic mercury in artisanal gold mining.
GOLDROP is invented by American company Sluice Goose Industries founded by the gold hunting hobbyist John Richmond and has gained United States patents in the middle of 2018. The water-driven processor mainly contains a funnel and an elutriation tube. The machine raises water pressure and creates an upward current of swirl in the tube and relies on gravity to precipitate gold particles from dirt and other minerals. Gold, which is heavier sinks to the bottom of the kit’s bucket. Lighter particles float and move out of the system. The device can recover different heavy materials including gemstones and precious metals like stainless steel, etc. Richmond claimed the machine can process 50 pounds of paydirt in five minutes and around six feet of materials daily, while it merely requires a steady water supply and a pump that can generate 100 pounds pressure. According to some North American gold miners who often use mercury to extract gold from other heavy minerals, it is more efficient than traditional gold panning.
MFM executive direcctor Toby Pomeroy travelled to one of the world’s top 10 gold producers Ghana’s southern part, Ashanti for a 10-day field testing of the innovative equipment in the early January. Miners in three artisanal mining communities in the Ashanti region used the equipment daily as real-world applications. After the trip to Ghana, Pomeroy described the technology as low-cost, simple, portable and highly efficient. GNASSM organiser Anaji Baba said the artisanal and small-scale miners there picked up the skills of using GOLDROP almost immediately. They captured 95 percent of the Alluvial gold they processed the first day and locals who applied the tool on gold recovery were excited to replace their mercury-based practices. MFM has currently launched a fundraising campaign to help the organisation to meet the US$25,000 goal to complete rigorous testing and documentation in collaboration with the University of Mines and Technology to witness the beginning of the end of toxic mercury in gold mining.
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