Guyana preparing national plan to reduce mercury use in gold mining

Minister Trotman said that the training initiative includes measures to modernise the technology used in the sector and to reduce the dependence on mercury, in keeping with Government’s goal to foster greener, more sustainable and efficient gold mining practices.
“Amalgamation remains the preferred method of the recovery of gold from concentrates. This traditional process has relatively low recovery rates; generally below 50 percent, and is associated with the release of mercury, unfortunately, into the environment. Globally, artisanal and small mining operations are reported to be responsible for over 700 tonnes, per year, of mercury emissions into the atmosphere and an additional 800 tonnes mercury release to land and water, making it the largest anthropogenic source of mercury. This training intends to change that,” Minister Trotman said.
http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2016/01/30/guyana-preparing-national-plan-to-reduce-mercury-use-in-gold-mining/