The team is introducing a technology that will allow the smelting of gold without the use of mercury which has been found to have serious negative health consequences.

This comes at a time when Ghana has signed the Minamata Convention.

Gold remains one of Ghana’s major export commodities, with its mining largely done on a small-scale level.

The process at the small-scale level involves dissolving the gold ore in mercury then heat-vaporizing the mercury, although this is dangerous. It is carried out untethered in illegal, small-scale mines, run mainly by Chinese enterprises.

Izumi Watanabe, an Environmental toxicology professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology did a study on soil samples from small-scale mines in southwestern Ghana and he detected high concentrations of mercury, up to several tens-of-times higher than normal.

Incidences of serious skin disease of unknown cause among mine workers are increasing in mining areas and there is a close relationship between the two.

Professor Watanabe warned that, “there were also high concentrations of mercury found in vegetables and river fish, and if things continue as is, there is the fear of serious health implications.”

The joint research team is building upon a technology originally developed in 1992 by a former senior researcher at the Japanese National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Yukimichi Nakao.

Plans are underway to conduct an experimental trial of the non-mecury smelting method in the mines in Ghana.

The process will now use iodine and its compounds dissolved in organic solvents.

Gold is generally stable and impervious to melting, but it dissolves readily in this solvent. A high yield rate of more than 99% was confirmed in experiments using Japanese gold ore.

Dr. Nakao said: “Iodine is highly stable and easy to handle. Although the costs involved need to be considered, it is a promising alternative to mercury.”

The Minamata Convention, which aims to prevent adverse health effects and environmental pollution from mercury, came into force on August 16, 2017, and its goals include reducing mercury from small-scale gold ore mining. Ghana signed the convention in March, but implementation measures are yet to be developed.

Mr. Tanzawa is calling for cooperation from business: “If non-mercury smelting methods are realized in Ghana, it would become a model for other developing countries. I hope to be able to collect the necessary research funding.”

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Japanese group experiments mercury-free gold mining technology in Ghana appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the company, the move will further create about a 1,000 more jobs for persons within its production and distribution chain.

This was revealed by the company during a public hearing on the proposed Obuasi Gold Mine Redevelopment and Tailings and Water Infrastructure projects under the auspices of the Environmental Protection Agency in Obuasi.

Speaking at the well attended public hearing, Mr. Michael Sandow Ali, the Head of Mining Department, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it was prudent to organize such a hearing was because it has received documents on the Redevelopment and the Tailing projects from the Mine and was currently reviewing it.

He further appealed to the residents to take advantage of the platform created to make their grievances known taking into consideration the significance of the Mine to them.

AngloGold Ashanti Ghana in 2014 laid off 4,300 of its workers as part of cost-saving measures.

The move was part of measures that the company said was to make the Obuasi mine more profitable.

Speaking at the event, the General Manager of AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine, Mr.  Eric Asubonteng, stated that their dwindling fortunes have been as a result of a dip in production and high operational cost.

In their bid to salvage this situation however, the General Manager said, the Multinational company adopted what he termed as a ‘stop and fix’ approach which involved an attractive severance package of an amount of $240 million for affected workers and the suspension of  its underground operations in November, 2014.

He explained that they conducted a feasibility studies for the enhancement of their production as well as a better of way of disposing off their waste materials.

This, Mr. Asubonteng indicated, have been submitted to EPA for their approval.

For his part, the Projects manager at Frederick Nsarkoh disclosed that the Obuasi Mine has 20 years capacity or reserve and also has a potential to last longer with several other more productive areas yet to be explored by the Mining giant.

Again, Mr. Nsarkoh stated that the company would undertake massive renovation works on their properties or assets at Sam Jonah Estates, Dankwa, Bruno, Tinny Rowland and the Bill Horssey Estates to provide befitting residential accommodation for their workers.

This, he opined, would also create employment for indigenes of the Mining town.

On the facilities to be used for the much awaited KNUST-Obuasi campus, the Projects Manger said, plans are far advanced to release the facilities to the school which will also boost the economy of Obuasi.

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By: Sampson Manu/ISD

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