Gold Industry Research Articles

History of study of gold potential in the East Sayan ore province of Buryatia

Four periods of geological study and development of the southeastern part of the East Sayan are considered. Significant, but scattered exploration allows to speak about the positive prospects of the area, while maintaining a high potential for discovering new interesting industrial gold objects.

Prediction of Vibrations Due to Blast at the Hiré Mine, Côte D’Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire has, in order to diversify its economic resources, decided to exploit its mineral reserves. Industrial gold mining in Côte d'Ivoire began in 1991 with the opening of the Ity gold mine in the department of Zouan-Hounien, in the west of the country. Several regions of the country have seen mines open. In the Loh-Djiboua region, in the department of Divo, Hiré gold mine opened in 2013. Mine operations consist of mechanical extraction for oxidized ore but also blasting for sulfired ore. Mining operations are then supposed to take place at a minimum distance of five hundred meters from the first dwellings. From the results of the research work, the mining company requests and obtains in 2017, from the State of Côte d'Ivoire, the extension of its operations, in the direction of the city of Hiré, with the possibility of making blast at two hundred and fifty meters from the first dwellings, posing the problem of the proximity of mining blast to the dwellings. The situation appears unprecedented in the mining sector of Côte d'Ivoire. Blast is a source of nuisance, including vibrations. Our study focused on the prediction of vibrations related to shots. Our method of study consisted in first determining, from the formula of Oriard, the constants of the site and to predict from them, the vibrations generated by the explosive blast.

The landforms associated with industrial placer gold mining in Siberia

Industrial placer gold mining creates specific montane relief shapes. The character of these landforms is influenced by the mining technology used, the management of the site and mining area, the organization of the work and the subsequent measures after the termination of mining. Available classifications of known landforms can also be partially applied to shapes created during placer gold mining. Field research was conducted on gold-bearing fields in the upper courses of the Indigirka and Kolyma rivers. Drawn and photographic documentation of sample landforms was obtained, and their dimensions were ascertained, or their genesis was observed. The landforms found often differ in character and size from shapes known from other raw material mining and industrial gold panning sites. The mining landforms created during the industrial panning of gold in Siberia are documented by drawings according to the facts found during the field research. The text presents their basic differences from the hitherto known landforms.

Organization of Management of the Gold Mining Industry in Siberia in the Early 1920s

The main purpose of the article is to analyze the evolution of organizational forms of management of the Siberian gold industry in 1920–1922. The relevance of the research is determined by the fact that significant gaps in historiography of the industrial development of Siberia are filled, the experience of managerial decisions on the organization of the work of the Siberian gold mining in the emergency conditions of the early 1920s is studied. The author used primarily historical-genetic, historical-comparative, concrete-historical methods. The methodological basis of the research is a region-oriented approach developed within the framework of the modernization theory. The study found that during the revolutionary events in Siberia, the gold mining industry in this region declined, so the central and Siberian authorities had to do a lot of work to restore this industry. In 1920, the Siberian Mining Department with a specialized sub-department Sibzoloto was organized to manage the mining industry and the gold mining industry as an integral part of it. Numerous problems made it difficult to manage the gold mining complex, but the activities of the Siberian Mining Department should be recognized as very useful. Regional departments of the gold mining and platinum industry were formed to organize gold mining operations on the ground. The work of all district departments was coordinated by the Siberian Mining Department, through which their interaction with the center was carried out. However, such large units as Lenzoloto often directly interacted with Moscow. At the end of 1921, the Siberian Mining Department was reduced and the management of the gold mining industry was seriously disrupted. At the same time, during this period, there was a significantly greater interest in the development of gold mining on the part of the central authorities than on the part of Sibrevkom and Sibpromburo, which in turn hindered the development of the industry. In general, a number of poorly thought-out management decisions, and above all, the liquidation of the unified management body of the Siberian mining industry, aggravated the unstable work of the industry

A novel green method for copper recovery from cuprous thiocyanate-containing acidified sediments in the gold industry

The construction of a low-cost and green copper recovery method in gold plants is extremely important for treating CuSCN-containing refractory acidified sediments (ASs). In this work, an effective and environmentally-friendly hydrometallurgical process, consisting of thiosulfate leaching and protective electrodeposition, was proposed for selective copper recovering from ASs. The effects of leaching parameters on the leaching efficiency were systematically investigated. Subsequently, cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, and chronoamperometry were utilized to determine the predominant speciation and investigate the electrochemical behavior of the leachate. Eventually, the optimum electrolysis parameters for copper recovery were considered. The results demonstrated that the selective leaching efficiency of copper reached 99% under optimum leaching conditions, while no zinc and iron were leached, which coincides with the results of speciation calculations. Simultaneously, the kinetic analysis indicated that the leaching process exhibited a diffusion-controlled step with an apparent activation energy of 13.64 kJ/mol. Na2Zn3Fe(CN)6 as the main ingredient of the leaching residue was formed, which played a vital role in facilitating the copper leaching process. The electrochemical measurements indicated that the [Cu(S2O3)3]5- complex was the dominant species in the pH range from 7.0 to 11.0, and the mass transfer diffusion was the main resistance element for the cathodic reduction of the [Cu(S2O3)3]5- complex. Regarding the S2O32− stability, it decomposed more easily into S, S2−, S4O62−, and SO42− in the presence of Cu2+. However, the presence of SO32− significantly alleviated thiosulfate decomposition. The electrodeposition experiments showed that metallic copper was obtained with a recovery efficiency of 95%, current efficiency of 50%, and energy consumption of 1.25 kW h/kg Cu. This research developed an approach for the efficiently recycling ASs, yielding great economic results and more favorable environmental performance.

History, Current Situation and Challenges of Gold Mining in Ecuador’s Litoral Region

Gold mining in Ecuador has been present in the country since Inca times; over the years interest in the mineral has increased, leading to the creation of legislation to control the mining sector in a safe manner. The Litoral region consists of seven provinces, six of which have registered gold concessions; the most affected provinces are El Oro and Esmeraldas. The objective of this study was to analyze the historical and current situation of artisanal and industrial gold mining in the Litoral region of Ecuador. Different methodologies were used for the elaboration of this study, including bibliographic review, grey literature, field interviews and a validation of expert judgment. The main results indicate that El Oro and Esmeraldas are essentially the most conflictive areas in the region, as they have sometimes had to establish precautionary measures due to the risks caused by illegal mining. In addition, in both areas there is a great socioeconomic impact ranging from lack of opportunities, forgetfulness, migration, emigration, and violation of rights, among others. With respect to environmental impacts, the study highlights the contamination of water sources (which leads to a lack of drinking water for people), and damage to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Finally, the study concludes that the authorities should control the mining sector more by implementing more laws and carrying out inspections to put an end to illegal gold mining, in order to improve the situation in the areas.

Mining habitat, house and home during an East African gold boom: economic and emotional dimensions

ABSTRACT This article interrogates migrants’ economic and emotionally entwined decision-making regarding migration and settlement in unfolding stages of a gold mining boom. Three Tanzanian gold mining settlements representing temporal, spatial and scalar differences along the gold mining trajectory are contrasted: an artisanal rush site, a mature artisanal mining settlement and Geita town, site of a large industrial gold mine. Our data derives from in-depth interviews with miners, traders, service providers and farmers supplemented by a household survey. Interviewees’ verbatim narratives describing their work and family life are laced with feelings of both anticipation and apprehension. Strategic calculations and contingency thinking combine with emotional anxiety as they pursue efforts to ‘get ahead’ during the mining boom. Amidst the uncertainty of stressful work lives, and obstacles to secure housing and residence in infrastructurally deficient, unsafe and polluted mining environments, a ‘deferred sense of home’ surfaces in many mining settlement residents’ narratives. Seeking a ‘comfortable and secure home eventually’ is a coping mechanism for bridging the gap between initial high expectations and their current material reality.

THE HISTORY OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORIES - THE GOLD OF YAKUTIA: KОCHULUKAN AND YNYKCHAN IN THE POST-WAR PERIOD (MEMOIRS OF THE OWNER)

The paper is devoted to a part of A. M. Ozhigov‟s memoirs, recently found in the family archives of the authors. The memoirs describe the working conditions at the gold mines of the Dzhugdzhurzoloto trust in 1947. The post-war period required an urgent replenishment of the state gold reserves, which was reflected in the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR (1946) on increasing the production of gold and platinum in the country. As a result, the Special Main Directorate of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (Glavspetstsvetmet) has been created. The activity of this Directorate was focused on the search and exploration of new deposits, technical modernization and improvement of working conditions in mines This period of profound post-war crisis of gold industry, entirely determined by the war efforts, was characterized by a high share of manual labor, labor of prisoners and special settlers, low qualifications of workers and arduous living conditions. Here, we have evaluated reliability of the above memoirs using a comparative historical method. The factual knowledge of the memoirs was confirmed in open official sources. However, these sources are rather scarce in terms of human relations directly in gold mines and newly discovered areas. New names and circumstances of the everyday life of gold prospectors developing the deposit of the Kоchulyukan spring, brightly presented in the memoirs of A. M. Ozhigov, reveal the unknown details of the Soviet history of the industrial development of the northern territories. The psychological aspect of the recollections, expressed in the author's vivid subjectivism in relation to the organizers of the works (managers), also brightly show the opposition of the "worker-boss" type. Scanned copies of A. M. Ozhigov‟s memoirs are kept in the V. F. Vereshchagin Museum of Local Lore, Bodaibo town, Irkutsk region.

The cyanide revolution: Efficiency gains and exclusion in artisanal- and small-scale gold mining

Since its advent at the end of the nineteenth century, cyanide processing facilitated the intensification and global expansion of industrial gold mining. Today, there are important indications that artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is on the verge of a similar cyanide revolution: while ASGM is typically associated with mercury-based processing, mercury amalgamation is increasingly replaced with, or complemented by, cyanidation. Relying on evidence from the Philippines, Indonesia, and Burkina Faso, we demonstrate how this transition is having a deeply transformative impact on ASGM communities. On the one hand, cyanidation produces clear efficiency gains. Together with rising gold prices, it is fueling a dramatic expansion of ASGM by enabling the profitable extraction of lower-grade gold deposits. On the other hand, it contributes to the emergence of new and often highly unequal labor and revenue-sharing arrangements. More broadly, these findings demonstrate the highly uneven impact of socio-technical transformations. Consequently, the growing number of efforts to intervene in the technological make-up of ASGM, usually in the name of efficiency and sustainability, should be wary of having unintended consequences.

Nexus of Gold Price-Exchange rate-interest rate-Oil Price: Lessons for Monetary Policy in Pakistan

This study aims to evaluate the links among gold price, oil price, exchange rate and interest rate in Pakistan. All these channels are interconnected and have impact on monetary policy of the country. Monthly data ranging from 1995-01 to 2016-12 is used for the analysis based on VAR Model. Exchange rate depreciations are responded by tight monetary policy actions, which seem to have a significant effect on exchange rate stabilization process and raise gold price. Changes in oil prices at global level strongly affect the nexus in Pakistan. Monetary policy managers are suggested to take changes in gold prices as indicators of short-run fluctuations in Pakistan economy. The study contributes in two ways. Firstly, as a case study of Pakistan, it analyzes the role of gold market in response to changes in exchange rate and world oil prices. Secondly, the study links up monetary policy decisions to the nexus of gold price-oil price-exchange rate. Findings of the study may be useful for monetary policy makers, academia, and gold industry alike.

Typomorphic and processrelated features of associated gold in complex placer deposits

The industrial value of complex rare-metal-titanium placers depends not only on the contained titanium and zirconium minerals, but also on the associated minerals and valuable components. When studying rare-metal-titanium, titanium-containing and rare-metal placers, gold is found in various quantities. The production of gold-bearing concentrate, a readily marketable commercial product, may significantly increase the economic efficiency of the development of complex placers. In recent years, technogenic gold deposits have been recognized as a huge and poorly explored mineral resource for the gold industry in Russia and abroad. The article presents the results of a typomorphic study and content data for the native gold contained in Russian complex rare-metal placers of natural and technogenic origin included in the State Balance. Significant gold grades (over 0.1 g/t) were found in the original ore sands of the Tsentralnoe (Tambov Region), Beshpagirskoye (Stavropol Territory), and Nikolaevskoye (Kemerovo Region) deposits, as well at the Tsentralnaya-Nizhnyaya technogenic deposit (Republic of Sakha-Yakutia). Native gold of the placers studied is mainly represented by thin, mechanically processed particles with the predominant particle sizes of 0.1 to 0.044 mm. The gold particles are fully liberated and have a number of signs of transit, which is quite consistent with the genesis concepts of the deposits. The coefficient of variation for the grade and distribution of Au by the particle size classes of the original sands changes over a wide range.

Using the Industry-Based Fama-French Model to Evaluate Industry Portfolios

In this paper I create the industry-based Fama-French 3-factor model by constructing the three Fama-French factors for each industry group separately. I then use this model together with the traditional Fama-French model to evaluate the returns of 41 monthly industry portfolios and I compare the results. Three sets of stock portfolios are used in my analysis: (1)Stocks in a single industry, (2)Stocks in industries in the same industry group, (3) Stocks in a industries not in the same industry group. I show that the modified Fama-French model outperforms the traditional Fama-French model when assessing the performance of those industry portfolios. This is especially true for industry portfolios within small industry groups like mining where the regression R2 improved by 34.8%, 68.8%, 28% and 1052% for the underlying Mining, Coal, Oil and Gold industries. Actually in 16 out of the 18 non-manufacturing industry portfolios, R2 improved. These results imply that within each industry group asset space, the new industry-based model tends to be more efficient than the traditional Fama-French model.

Arsenic behavior during the treatment of refractory gold ores via POX: Characterization of Fe-AsO4-SO4 precipitates

Arsenic is a common contaminant in refractory gold ores/concentrates and it's accepted that total pressure oxidation (POX) is the most appropriate technology to treat these due to their refractoriness and ability to stabilize arsenic via ferric arsenate compounds (Fe-As). However, information gaps about the behavior and stability of the various Fe-As’s formed at high temperatures in downstream gold processing steps remain and may have significant practical implications. This paper focuses on the precipitation behavior of arsenic during autoclaving of various arsenopyrite containing ore concentrates from around the world. The first portion involved the precipitation of different synthetic precipitates at POX conditions found in the gold industry by varying Fe/As ratios in the feed solutions. Mineralogical characterization results showed that arsenate-containing basic ferric sulphate (As-BFS), basic ferric arsenate sulphate (BFAS), and ferric arsenate sub-hydrate (FAsH) formed. In the second portion, five pyrite/arsenopyrite concentrates received from gold mines around the world were submitted to batch POX and mineralogical analysis. We observed that the mechanism of precipitation for pyrite/arsenopyrite concentrates appears to be different vs. synthetic solutions. Upon processing of the gold concentrates under POX, the initial Fe/As ratio in the concentrates was retained to the final generated residues. The major Fe-As’s generated in the POX residues from the concentrates were As-BFS and BFAS, while non-As containing ferric phases included hematite and some small fraction of jarosite. Finally, we observed that as the Fe/As molar ratio in the concentrate feed increased, the amount of As-BFS decreased while that of BFAS increased.

Life cycle impact assessment of metal production industries in Australia

Metal production industries are associated with positive economic benefits, however their activities are significantly resource and energy intensive, contributing to emission of pollutants and greenhouse gases to the environment. The balance between the economic inputs and environmental footprint of the metal production industries determines their contribution to sustainability. This work provides environmental impact assessment of the production of aluminium, copper, gold, iron and steel, lead, nickel and zinc, and considers their contribution to the economy. The emissions of selected representative industries in Australia were sourced from public national emission inventories and used as input parameters in the openLCA software. ReCiPe midpoint and endpoint hierarchist impact assessment methods were used to investigate the environmental impacts of the selected industries. The results indicate that lead, followed by aluminium and nickel production had the largest environmental impacts. The work further revealed the specific emissions for better control for each industry taking into consideration their relative environmental and economic impacts. For instance, adoption of renewable energy sources would significantly decrease the greenhouse gas emissions and the associated environmental impacts of the copper, zinc, gold, and iron and steel production industries. Improvement of sustainability of the production of lead would require further control of trace metal emissions, while for aluminium and nickel production, improved control of emissions of particles and the acidic gases SO2 and NOx.

Gendered health impacts of industrial gold mining in northwestern Tanzania: perceptions of local communities

ABSTRACT Mining projects affect the health of surrounding communities by inducing environmental, economic, social and cultural changes in different population groups. Health impact assessment (HIA) offers an opportunity to manage these impacts. This paper aims to explore gender differences of impacts on the wider determinants of health as described by communities impacted by industrial gold mining and consider the implications for impact assessment. We conducted 24 gender-separated, participatory focus group discussions at three study sites in northwestern Tanzania. Participants reported on a broad range of impacts on the wider determinants of health. Based on a thematic analysis, we identified gendered health impacts on men and women; in addition, children and adolescent boys and girls emerged as differently affected subpopulation groups. Located in the theory of the ‘triple role of women’, we suggest that different gender needs should be addressed more explicitly by HIA. Increased use of mitigation measures that recognise and address impacts on women’s engendered roles, and their health, through addressing women’s strategic gender needs, would strengthen HIA as a tool towards sustainable development.

Analysis of the Found New Dokuments on the “Charter of the Bukhara Gold Mining Company”

Documents on the history of mining and minerals in the khanates of Central Asia are kept in the National Archives of Uzbekistan. In the article, several documents on the history of mining were first published and included in the scientific circulation, and were also purposefully used to clarify the content of the article. The article describes the essence of such documents as the Charter on the private gold industry in Turkestan in the late 19th - early 20th centuries and the Charter of the Bukhara gold mining company as well as a list of persons who have certificates for gold prospecting in Turkestan, information on the legal framework for regulating activities gold producers

Synergistic effect of adsorptive photocatalytic oxidation and degradation mechanism of cyanides and Cu/Zn complexes over TiO2/ZSM-5 in real wastewater

The treatment of cyanide wastewater from the gold industry is essential. Photocatalytic oxidation is an effective method for the elimination of cyanides and metal cyanide complexes. TiO2/ZSM-5 composite photocatalysts with different SiO2/Al2O3 ratios were prepared using the solid-state dispersion (SSD) method. The composite catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N2 adsorption-desorption, and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis DRS). The catalytic efficiency of different SiO2/Al2O3 ratios and the synergistic effect of adsorptive photocatalytic oxidation for the degradation of cyanide wastewater was investigated under different adsorption and illumination times. With the extension of the photocatalytic time (>2.0 h), the composite catalyst with a high SiO2/Al2O3 ratio had better photocatalytic performance. A 93.97% degradation efficiency of total cyanides was observed after adsorption for 3.0 h and illumination for 4.0 h under room temperature with air as the oxidant. The removal efficiencies of the copper and zinc ions were 81.67% and 100%, respectively. The degradation of cyanide followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) results showed that the generally irregular surface of the catalyst with a high SiO2/Al2O3 ratio contains more nano-TiO2. The adsorption capacities of copper and zinc were relatively high. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) suggested that cyanide was eventually degraded to CO2 and NO3–. Copper and zinc were removed in the form of Cu(II) and Zn(II).

The Names of the Gold Mines of the Barguzin District of the Late XIX – Early XX Centuries: Topological Aspect

The article is devoted to the analysis of the names of the gold mines of the Barguzinsky district in the late. 19 - early. XX centuries The research material was previously unpublished archival sources and field materials of the author in 2018-2019. According to the archival records of the Barguzin district, about three hundred names were considered, taking into account their location, area, owner data and registration dates of the site. The names of the gold mines in the Barguzin District were studied in the context of the topological tradition of cultural geography. The typology of names is carried out, the differentiating factors of the nomination of the socio-cultural space in the private gold industry are highlighted. Relationships between the subjects of gold mining are considered through the prism of names of mines. The characteristic features of nominating mines in the context of the cultural landscape are shown. The growth of mines and the expansion of the types of their nomenclature were noted. An analysis of the names of the mines showed the importance of gold mining in increasing the number and strengthening of the Barguzin Jewish community, the growing role of gold mining in the livelihoods of Jewish and Russian peasants. The increase in their number reflects the expansion of the areas of gold mining and is directly related to the migration process in the second half. XIX century. The repetition of names indicates a massive increase in the number of gold miners and their role in the formation of toponymy. The system of creating new names borrowed to a lesser extent the indigenous toponyms of the region. Most of them arose as a result of a rethinking of the name by a native speaker.

Green Treatment of Cyanide Tailings Using a “Filter Press BackWash–Chemical Precipitation–Gaseous Membrane Absorption” Method

Based on a “filter press backwash–chemical precipitation–gaseous membrane absorption” process, treatment of harmless cyanide tailings was conducted using cyanide tailings from a gold smelting enterprises (Yunnan Province, China) as the research object. The effects of air-drying time, backwash water parameters, initial pH of acidification, NaHS dosage, cyanide-containing water flow rate, and gaseous membrane stages on the process were investigated. Chemical composition, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses of the copper products were carried out. Results showed that the copper content in the copper product was 54.56%, and the chemical composition was mainly CuSCN, CuS, Cu2S, and CaSO4. Five cycles of experiments were carried out under optimal conditions; the results showed that the process can make the treated cyanide tailings meet the requirements of the technical specification for pollution control of cyanide leaching residue in the gold industry (TSPC) standard for storage in a tailings pond and a have certain stability. The average recovery rate of copper and total cyanide in elution water was 97.8% and 99.89%, respectively, and the average removal rate of thiocyanate was 94.09%.

Recovery of gold from sulfide refractory gold ore: Oxidation roasting pretreatment and gold extraction

Recovering gold from sulfide refractory gold ore has been an important guarantee for the sustainable development of gold industry, while there are many challenges in the treatment of sulfide refractory gold ore, such as environmental pollution and low gold recovery. In this study, A novel method for gold recovery from refractory gold ore was proposed with the purpose of improving recovery efficiency of gold and reducing environmental pollution. The method consisted of two stages roasting for arsenic and sulfur removal, gold recovery by thiourea leaching, followed by an enhanced chlorination roasting for gold recovery in the presence of pyrite. In the two-stage roasting process, the phase transition of FeAsS and FeS2 during the roasting process was analyzed. In the first stage roasting process, the removal efficiency of arsenic reached 96.98% with only 43.07% sulfur was removed. We achieved removal efficiency of 97.19% for sulfur and 84.11% of gold was exposed during the second stage roasting process. The thiourea leaching combined with pyrite enhanced chlorination roasting was first proposed to effectively extract gold from the second stage roasting slag, and the pyrite shown a great role in promoting gold extraction during chlorination roasting. In this process, gold could be effectively recovered from the sulfide refractory gold ore with a recovery efficiency of 98.06%.