Stakeholders explore green mining practices
– Symposium marks beginning of Mining Week
DPI, Guyana, Monday, August 20, 2018
Mining Week 2018 got underway with a symposium which sought to explore how to achieve greater recovery through green mining.
The seminar was hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) today and featured a panel consisting of Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Conservation International Guyana, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA).
Representatives from these organisations shared past, current and future projects which are geared towards greater recovery in the mining of gold and making the practice more responsible.
Panellist and Mineral Processing Engineer at GGMC, Quinton Johnson, noted that the regulatory body has been exploring various recovery techniques to present to the miners.
Johnson added that the GGMC will soon be testing the iGoli process as an alternative to the use of mercury in the mining of gold. This mercury-free process allows for the extraction of gold from a chlorine solution produced from a mixture of pool acid and bleach.
Conservation International and WWF shared their upcoming projects. CI’s Eldorado Gold Project will work with artisanal and small-scale miners in Regions Eight and Nine to explore mercury-free mining by 2025 along the supply chain from prospectors to producers.
The WWF project will see the demonstration of mercury-free extraction models and sharing of mercury data on a regional level.
Much of the discussion centred around miners understanding the importance of the exploration they are doing and identifying the grain size of the mineral and the best method suitable for extraction.
CI Guyana is working with the GGDMA to develop low impact methods of prospecting.
Former Commissioner of the GGMC and member of the GGDMA and panellist William Woolford noted that miners are interested in working with the regulatory agency and other partners towards more green mining but need technical and financial support.
Mining Week 2018 began on August 19, 2018.
By: Tiffny Rhodius
Images: Ackeem Thomas