I-Push to Mine Gold Ngaphandle Kwe-Mercury–ngokuvamile i-sodium cyanide

Iqembu elisekelwa yi-UN lisiza abavukuzi abancane ePhilippines ukuthola enye indlela ephephile - ngokuvamile i-sodium cyanide.

Izisebenzi zicubungula insimbi enegolide embonini encane eParacale, ePhilippines.

EPhilippines, njengasezindaweni eziningi emhlabeni jikelele, i-mercury ibilokhu iyisici esibalulekile endleleni abavukuzi begolide abancane abaphila ngayo. Njengoba isetshenziswa njengendlela elula yokuhlukanisa igolide kwamanye amaminerali abawambayo, insimbi esindayo inobuthi obukhulu futhi ingabangela ukulimala kwezinzwa, ukukhubazeka esibelethweni, ngisho nokufa.

I-Philippines yakwenqabela ukusetshenziswa kwe-mercury ezimayini zegolide ngo-2012. Nokho abavukuzi abangabhalisiwe ezweni bayaqhubeka nokuthembela kumakhemikhali ukuze bathole inzuzo yabo yansuku zonke. Kubo, umuzwa wokuphika udlangile, naphezu kokufunda ngezingozi zezempilo ngisho nokufa ngaphambi kwesikhathi okutholwa abantu abasebenza kulo mkhakha.

Umnikazi wemayini kanye nombolekisi kubavukuzi usebenzisa indawo encane emba insimbi emigodini embelwe phansi ngezansi kwesakhiwo futhi iyicubungule ezindaweni zokugaya. Izipuni ezimbalwa ze-mercury zifakwa njalo lapho izigayo zivutha.

Abavukuzi bezandla basebenzisa i-mercury ngoba ilula. Lapho i-mercury ixutshwa nensimbi, ihlangana negolide, idale inhlanganisela yezingxenye ezicishe zilingane zezinsimbi ezimbili. I-mercury ngokuvamile iyashiswa, ishiye igolide kodwa futhi idale umhwamuko onobuthi abavukuzi abaningi abawuhogela bengaqondile.

Umnikazi wemayini uthi ngokusebenzisa i-mercury ukondla umndeni, echaza ukuthi kudingeke ukuthi kuvalwe umgodi kwafakwa umhubhe omusha ngemuva kwesiphepho esidale izikhukhula.

I-Mercury - amanzi angcolile akuyo yonke indawo esizeni, kuhlanganisa nasechibini elincane lapho abavukuzi basebenzisa khona ubuthi ukuze bathole igolide ensimbi ephambukiswe emshinini wokugaywa. Ichibi lizungezwe amasaka esihlabathi futhi lihlala amamitha nje ukusuka emfuleni lapho izingane ezincane zidoba khona.

Izingane zidoba eduze kwemayini encane yegolide eParacale, ePhilippines, esaqhubeka isebenzisa i-mercury lapho ilimba.

Umnikazi uyavuma ukuthi i-mercury iyingozi kakhulu. Cishe ishumi nambili lamadoda asebenza eziteshini ezahlukene kule nxanxathela, kanti amanye angu-10 amatasatasa ekhipha insimbi ngaphansi kwezinyawo. Abasebenzi batshelwa ukuthi bangawusebenzisi uma benezibazi, ukuze bagweme ukumuncwa egazini.

Ukuvakashela lesi sikhungo kuyingxenye yohambo lwabezindaba oluhlelwe wuhlelo oluholwa yiNhlangano Yezizwe, i-planetGOLD, olusebenzela ukusiza abavukuzi abancane begolide ukuthi bahambisane nesivumelwano, iMinamata Convention on Mercury. Izintatheli zivakashele izimayini nezindawo zokucubungula ezisezigabeni ezahlukahlukene zoshintsho kude nemercury.

Kwakusobala kusukela ekuvakasheni ukuthi ushintsho luzokwenzeka kuphela uma abavukuzi beqaphela kakhulu izingozi futhi bethola usizo eziphathimandleni ukuze bathole ezinye izindlela ezisebenzayo zokukhipha igolide. Okwamanje, abavukuzi abaningi bathola ikhambi kwenye ikhemikhali eyingozi: i-Sodium Cyanide.

Ukukhuthaza Ushintsho

Selokhu abaholi bamakoloni baseSpain baqala ukufuna igolide e-Philippines ngasekupheleni kwekhulu le-16, abavukuzi abampofu baye bakhangwa embonini, ikakhulukazi ngesikhathi sokukhuphuka kwentengo yegolide. Abantu endaweni ethile basebenze impilo yabo yonke kulo mkhakha. Ngo-2020. umuntu wazuza imayini.

Njengoba ukungaqiniseki komhlaba wonke kudonsela abatshalizimali ezimpahleni eziphephile - kanye nokushintshwa kwamandla kwandisa isidingo segolide namanye amaminerali, amanani egolide akhuphuke—cishe amaphesenti ayishumi ngo-10 kuphela—okudonsela abantu abengeziwe kulo mkhakha womsebenzi.

I-UN ilinganisela ukuthi abantu abayizigidi ezingu-15—kufaka phakathi izingane nabesifazane abayizigidi ezingu-4 kuya kwezingu-5—baqashwe emazweni angaphezu kuka-80 emisebenzini yezimayini ezincane ekhiqiza cishe u-20% womkhiqizo womhlaba wensimbi. Njengoba inikeza umthombo wemali engenayo kubantu abasezindaweni ezikude lapho kunezinye izinketho ezimbalwa khona, lokhu kwemayini yegolide yobuciko kukhipha amathani angama-metric (t) angu-2.000 e-mercury minyaka yonke emvelweni.

Selokhu kwaqala ukusebenza iNgqungquthela yaseMinamata eminyakeni engu-7 edlule, i-planetGOLD ibisebenzisana neziphathimandla, abavukuzi, abezimali, kanye nemiphakathi yendawo ukushintsha indlela igolide elikhishwa ngayo futhi licutshungulwe. Imizamo ihlanganisa ukuqwashisa ngezingozi zemercury ngenkathi kusiza ukulungisa i-mercury - izindlela zamahhala zokumba nezindlela zokucubungula ukuze zihambisane nezidingo zendawo. Izinhlelo zomuntu ngamunye ze-planetGold ngokuvamile zihlala iminyaka engu-5, ngemva kwalokho imizamo iqhutshekwa yimiphakathi neziphathimandla zendawo.

I-planetGOLD isebenze emazweni angaphezu kuka-20 e-Afrika, e-Asia, naseLatin America. Embikweni wonyaka walolu hlelo wezi-2022–23, abahlaziyi balinganisele ukuthi imizamo yalo kuze kube manje ivimbele ukusetshenziswa kwe-31.4 t ye-mercury emazweni ayisithupha lapho lusebenza khona. Emazweni amaningana, okuhlanganisa i-Colombia, i-Peru, ne-Burkina Faso, i-planetGOLD ikhuthaza izinhlangano zezezimali zendawo ukuthi zinikeze abavukuzi isikweletu ukuze zibasize basebenzise ubuchwepheshe bokucubungula i-mercury - mahhala.

Ibhodlela lepulasitiki liphethe i-mercury emayini encane yegolide kanye nendawo yokucubungula eParacale, ePhilippines.

Endaweni ethile e-Philippines lapho i-planetGOLD ikhona, i-mercury engu-$500.000 - imboni yamahhala yokucubungula ilindele ukuqinisekiswa okusemthethweni ukuze iqale ukusebenza ekuqaleni kuka-2025. lapho ubunikazi buzodluliselwa kubavukuzi futhi i-planetGOLD izohoxa. Yakhelwe egqumeni ngenhla kwedolobha ukuze isebenzise amandla adonsela phansi ekuhlukaniseni nasekugayweni kwensimbi, izosiza amalungu enhlangano yabasebenzi basezimayini yendawo, ehamba ngesifushaniso esithi SMBC.

Ekubunjweni kwe-cyanidation yegolide , okusetshenziswa njalo ekumbeni okukhulu, abavukuzi bakha udoti we-ore echotshoziwe namanzi bese befaka i-sodium cyanide, encibilikisa igolide. I-activated carbon iyengezwa, isebenza njengesiponji ukuze imunce i-gold-cyanide complex. Izinhlayiya ze-carbon ezigcwele igolide, ezinkulu kunezingcezu ze-ore, bese zihlukaniswa kusetshenziswa i-wire mesh. Igolide litholakala ngokufakwa kwe-cyanide eyengeziwe noma ngokuncibilikisa.

Ngokungafani ne-mercury, ehlala isendaweni ezungezile, i-cyanide ingasuswa emzimbeni nge-oxidation nge- hydrogen peroxide noma i-sodium metabisulfite.

Disclaimer

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