Aladdin Separation Technologies : 11/01/2024

Stamp Program Objectives

In order to address the global mercury problem, Aladdin has developed the Strategic Abatement of Mercury and Poverty (STAMP) program. This program is designed to induce artisanal and all mercury mining users to adopt Aladdin's highly efficient mining technologies. The fundamental strategy looks to illustrate the economic advantages of HGP to the miners. Although being able to provide a safe work environment , safety benefits alone are not sufficient to convince indigent miners to abandon mercury processing. Ultimately, the success of the program must rely on its ability to provide the miners with a greater level of income than what they are able to derive when using mercury. The broad objectives of the STAMP Program are as follows:

1. Employ as many artisanal miners as is possible while maintaining the economical integrity of the program.

2. Work to eliminate the use of mercury when extracting gold in the customary artisanal alluvial concentrates and hard rock deposit areas.

3. Increase artisanal miner wages above the national average and provide bonuses based on gold revenues.

4. Create new employment opportunities and provide training for higher paid jobs in the trades, management, administration, accounting, mining, geology, process engineering, and attendant disciplines.

5. Provide a humanitarian fund to benefit the miners and their families.

6. Convert sites to farming land or forestry after gold is depleted from the properties.

7. Attract artisanal miners to proven gold reserves set aside by large scale mining companies and / or the government.

8. Make a profit for all stakeholders

Aladdin's Pledge To Social Responsibility

Aladdin Technologies Inc. is dedicated to bringing environmentally friendly processes to host countries so that mineral wealth can be extracted in a way that does not endanger local ecosystems or the health of native people. This interest - coupled with a commitment to mutual respect and a close involvement with all stakeholders - is behind the company's drive to help the government and citizens of countries achieve maximum benefit from their mineral resources. We also recognize that shareholder interests are best served when - based on our ethical treatment of indigenous people and sensitivity to environmental issues - countries actively seek out business relationships with the company.

Social responsibility is not simply an abstract concept, but rather, a realistic moral command and business strategy. Aladdin will do whatever is reasonable to help the communities of people around the world with which it interacts. Therefore, to disregard the tenants of mutual respect and fair trade would not only be morally corrupt, but it could also damage shareholder value in company mineral endeavors. Aladdin endeavors to be a leader in the way in which it brings obligations of social responsibility to its business enterprises.

Saturday, November 30, 2024

Madeira River’s Water Quality Crisis: How Illegal Gold Mining Impacts Amazon Basin Ecosystem

At the heart of the Madeira River’s crisis lies the insidious presence of mercury, a byproduct of illegal gold mining operations. Our analysis reveals a disturbing trend: while current mercury levels fall below Brazil’s national safety limits, they significantly exceed global standards. This discrepancy raises serious concerns about the long-term effects on both aquatic life and human health in the region.

Friday, November 29, 2024

Costa Rican Seeks to Re-Legalize Open-Pit Mining

Illegal miners, known as “coligalleros,” have been extracting gold from Crucitas since the ban, with much of it smuggled across the border into Nicaragua. These operations, often carried out with cyanide and mercury, have caused significant damage to the region’s soil and rivers, according to environmental groups.

Discrepancies in gold figures baffle Uganda’s EITI secretariat

“By nature, these artisanal miners prefer to operate in unconventional ways, even when it’s not necessary.” Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASGM) contributes to more than 90% of Uganda’s gold production. Many ASGM miners work with very small amounts of gold (less than 1 gram) and commonly use mercury for extraction.

Thursday, November 28, 2024

Nicaragua’s Gold Rush: A New Frontier of Corporate Extraction

In Nicaragua, as in much of the world, artisanal mining is almost entirely illegal and unregulated and relies on mercury to extract and amalgamate gold from the surrounding mud and minerals

What’s behind the alarming rise in birth defects in Brazil’s illegal gold mining capital?

In Pará state children are being born with neurological disorders. Experts note similarities to the mercury poisoning disaster in Minamata, Japan – but say that is not the whole story

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Illegal gold mining drives deforestation in DRC reserve home to ‘African unicorn’

Mercury was used to process gold in more than 90% of mining sites, both inside and near the reserve, which is a more than three times the rate in provinces like North and South Kivu, according to the report. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin, with no safe level of exposure, yet was frequently used very near the rivers and homes, often without protective equipment and sometimes by children, the report found. Once it gets into water sources or soils, mercury rapidly bio-accumulates up the food chain, putting miners, the wider population and wildlife, at risk.

Navigating the Galamsey Crisis: Transforming Ghana’s pains into a national economic innovative initiative

The illegal use of mercury in processing gold has contaminated water bodies like the Pra and Offin Rivers, while vast stretches of land have been degraded and deforested.

Monday, November 25, 2024

Polluted rivers, uprooted farmland and lost taxes: Ghana counts cost of illegal gold mining boom

Activists say most of Ghana’s rivers have been muddied by soil washed off the gold, as well as mercury and detergent used in the washing process. The Ghana Water Company’s capacity to supply clean water to some parts of the country has been reduced by 75%. Researchers from the University of Cape Coast say Ghana may have to import water by 2030.

Saturday, November 23, 2024

Lead Campaign Against Illegal Mining … Prof. Gordon Urges Youth

According to him, nobody could escape the threat, harm and dangers of galamsey as the mercury used in processing gold had seeped in the country’s water and food system.

Friday, November 22, 2024

Scramble for Mine Tailings: Corporate greed vs community survival

Typically stored in large, toxic mounds or slurry ponds, tailings include harmful chemicals used during mining processes, such as cyanide, mercury, and arsenic, as well as heavy metals like uranium, which can leach into surrounding soil and water.

Lead campaign against illegal mining … Prof. Gordon urges youth

According to him, nobody could escape the threat, harm and dangers of galamsey as the mercury used in processing gold had seeped in the country’s water and food system.

Thursday, November 21, 2024

No win for Africa in the gamble of illegal mining

The scale and impact of illegal mining is massive. Huge profits for illegal mining syndicates are made at the expense of country economies, vulnerable populations, and the environment. In the Central African region, gold smuggling is well organised, and systematic – illegal buyers collect gold from production sites and pass it through Cameroon or Uganda, to Asia (United Arab Emirates, India, and China), according to Interpol intelligence.

How murky gold trade fuels wars, gangs and terror attacks

Artisanal miners – including young children - often work in highly dangerous conditions, at risk of mercury and cyanide poisoning as well as pit collapses.

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

There's Mining, Then There's Galamsey

While legal ASM operators use techniques such as “panning”—washing sediments with a sieve so gold settles at the bottom—illegal operators often introduce mercury and cyanide to more easily find gold.

Exploitation of illegal miners flagged by World Gold Council as fuelling illicit financial flows, conflict

“The reality for those involved in ASGM is rarely prosperity. The sector is more likely to be associated with environmental degradation, the use of mercury, child labour, and poor safety controls,” said Tait.

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

The Impact Of Illegal Mining In Africa And How To Address Its Negative Implications

The unregulated extraction processes result in deforestation, soil erosion, and contamination of water bodies with toxic chemicals such as mercury and cyanide. For instance, in Ghana, illegal mining has stripped an estimated 28 billion tons of material from the earth, causing more damage than natural erosion.

WGC’s ‘Silence Is Golden’ Report Highlights Grim Reality of Artisanal Gold Mining

ASGM, which involves small-scale mining operations conducted by individuals or small enterprises, is prevalent in over 80 countries, particularly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The informal nature of this industry makes it highly vulnerable to exploitation and poses significant risks, including tax evasion, environmental damage, and worker safety concerns.

Exploitation of “Zama Zamas” flagged by World Gold Council as fuelling illicit financial flows, conflict

Monday, November 18, 2024

The Impact Of Illegal Mining In Africa And How To Address Its Negative Implications

World Gold Council report reveals exploitation threat in ASGM

The majority of ASGM operates outside of formal legal frameworks, within the shadow economy, making it especially susceptible to serious risks and challenges including evasion of tax revenue for governments, lack of basic safety standards that can cause mercury poisoning and other maladies, and safety concerns for the miners and their communities.

Sunday, November 17, 2024

Artist makes disturbing discovery after examining river water near mining locations: 'It was so bad'

As the BBC reported, corporate mining interests have been using mercury to extract gold throughout Ghana's forests and farms, triggering an environmental disaster in the West African state. The damage has become so extensive that the nonprofit WaterAid called it "ecocide."

Saturday, November 16, 2024

Mercury downstream of Yukon mining disaster, other chemicals also above 'objectives'

The mining operation used chemicals to extract gold, and the government update says more sampling is being done to test for methyl mercury, the kind that accumulates in animals, after it was found in samples collected in mid-October.

Thursday, November 14, 2024

In Colombia, a river's 'rights' swept away by mining and conflict

A new dawn seemed possible in Colombia's poorest, conflict-scarred department, where dozens of children had died from mercury poisoning due to illegal gold mining in the river.

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Illegal Gold Mining | Impacts on Human Rights and Biodiversity in the Amazon Six countries report

The report calls for stronger state actions to prevent and address the harmful effects of illegal mining, including improved regulatory frameworks, better enforcement of the Minamata Convention on mercury use, and enhanced cooperation among Amazonian countries. It emphasizes the importance of protecting Indigenous territories, promoting Indigenous participation in environmental governance, and establishing regional monitoring and sanctioning systems.

I believe UMaT can successfully clean our turbid water bodies – Vice Chancellor

However, he noted that many small-scale miners struggle to adopt their direct smelting technology. “We’ve developed a mercury-free process, known as direct smelting. This method eliminates the need for mercury in the final consolidation stage. Instead, the material is dried and smelted directly, resulting in a more efficient recovery process”.

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Environmental advocate criticises gov't's inaction on 3-year-old anti-galamsey plan

Galamsey has led to serious environmental degradation, including the pollution of water bodies with mercury and cyanide, deforestation, and soil erosion, all of which pose long-term risks to ecosystems and human health. Despite government crackdowns and regulatory efforts, the practice persists, partly due to poverty, limited job opportunities, and high global demand for gold.

Monday, November 11, 2024

Duke graduate student wins award for research on adverse health effects of toxic chemicals released by gold mining

“In the discourse around artisanal and small-scale gold mining, mercury gets a lot of attention, and in some ways, this makes sense because gold mining is the number one anthropogenic source of mercury on the planet. And it's something that's not naturally present,” she said. “It makes sense that you're focusing on that because you're adding it.”

Sunday, November 10, 2024

New report uncovers disturbing factor driving crisis in Amazon rainforest: 'This ... situation has spurred the Brazilian government into action'

In mid-October, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime reported that mass fires are ravaging the Amazon basin, with illegal gold miners and land grabbers setting the blazes in order to clear the forest for other purposes, including excavations, livestock rearing, and the growth of lucrative crops like soybeans and palm oil.

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Combating galamsey and climate change: enhancing food security and sustainable national development

Beyond the economic loss, galamsey also introduces harmful chemicals such as mercury and cyanide into the soil and water systems, further damaging crops and reducing land fertility – worsening the situation for farmers’ dependent on these lands.The chemicals used in these operations such as mercury and cyanide contaminate soils, significantly reducing crop yields by up to 30% in affected regions.

Friday, November 8, 2024

Surinam...Rivers and mining pollution

With the price for gold on the international market around US$2,668 per ounce, the attraction for licit and illicit mining in the interior remains high and accompanied by all of the usual depredations: deforestation, reckless use of mercury and the pollution of rivers among others.

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Brazil sets a date to remove illegal miners from Munduruku land, more details await

After years of delays in protecting the Munduruku Indigenous people from illegal gold mining and mercury use decimating the Tapajós River Basin, Brazil’s independent public prosecutors said there’s now a planned start date to remove the miners from the Munduruku Indigenous territory. Though the precise date and operation remain confidential, stakeholders in the government and communities are gathering preliminary data to plan the miners’ expulsion, sources share with Mongabay.

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Govt promises to continue supporting artisanal miners

Dr David Mathayo, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Energy and Minerals, called for the development of safer alternatives to mercury for gold processing.

Gold miners to be removed from Indigenous Amazon reserve

Brazilian authorities are preparing to remove illegal gold miners from an Indigenous reservation in the Amazon rainforest that has been criss-crossed with informal airstrips and contaminated with mercury, an official said.

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Mining: Govt phasing out mercury, by 2030

THE government has pledged to phase out mercury use in the mining sector by 2030 in a move to enhance public health and environmental sustainability.

Monday, November 4, 2024

Tanzania intensifies efforts to curb mercury use in ASGM

Tanzania is intensifying efforts to reduce usage and exposure of mercury a toxic substance which is mainly used by Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining

Sunday, November 3, 2024

Ghana’s Illegal Mining Looming & Foreseeable Crisis: A threat to the Ghanaian and global economy and environment

Ghana is facing a dire situation as illegal gold mining continues to ravage the country's environment, economy, and health. The devastating consequences of this illicit activity include polluted surface and groundwater, surrounding seas from polluted rivers, contaminated soil, and toxic air in some areas.

Saturday, November 2, 2024

A gold rush poisons Africa’s El Dorado

Young people have few options to make a living other than in the mercury-infested mines. Children grow up at the mercy of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)

Ghana’s Gold Boon is Environmentally Unfriendly

Mercury is increasingly being used to extract gold by miners digging on a massive scale in forests and farms, degrading land and polluting rivers to such an extent that the charity WaterAid has called it “ecocide”.

Friday, November 1, 2024

Water Advocacy Groups demand action to illegal mining

The groups decried the severe environmental toll, particularly on Ghana’s rivers, with once-thriving water bodies such as the Pra, Ankobra, and Birim now contaminated by chemicals like mercury and cyanide.