Artisanal and small-scale gold mining in the Tapajós River Basin, a primary tributary of the Amazon, has resulted in increased greenhouse gas emissions and contamination of water bodies. Mercury is used by miners to separate gold from ore. It is estimated that annually, miners released no less than 2.5 metric tons of this toxic metal into the area, contaminating soil as well as waterways.
This not only impacts the environment but also the health of riverine and indigenous communities in this region like the Munduruku people. Different studies have found that every individual in 3 Munduruku villages is contaminated by the metal.
Now a new study has proposed that gold be recycled to reduce these impacts, claiming that their approach may be even more sustainable than green gold mining, which centers more on sustainable techniques of extraction.
The study demonstrated that recycling used gold, especially those from high-value end-of-life sources, has the lowest environmental footprint. The researchers determined that recycling emitted between 22 and 50kg of CO2 per kg of gold produced. In comparison, artisanal and small-scale mining generates about 16 metric tons of CO2 equivalent per kg of gold.
The researchers also used the mining impacts calculator to determine the extent of damage caused by CO2 emissions from artisanal and small-scale gold mining in the Tapajós River region.
According to economist Pedro Gasparinetti, gold mining in this region produced 75,752 metric tons of CO2 equivalent in 2020 only. Gasparinetti, who led the development of the calculator, explained that this translated to roughly $8 million to $11.6 million in damages. These figures are based on a conservative carbon price of $110 to $160 per metric ton.
Professor Mario Schmidt, a co-author of the study, explained that carbon footprint was a fundamental issue in both industrial and artisanal and small-scale gold mining. He argued that the only solution was to recycle, but highlighted the need to ensure that primary gold wasn’t mixed illegally with recycled gold.
It should be noted though that while recycling scrap gold is carbon-efficient, the demand for newly mined gold continues to increase, driven by fashion and economic pressures as well as cultural perceptions that link wealth and gold. The price of gold reflects this demand, with the value of the precious metal growing by 28% in Q3 of the year. This is in comparison to the metal’s price as of Q3 2023.
The study’s findings were published in the Natural Sustainability journal and presented last month in Japan at a sustainability conference.
As more entities like Emperor Metals Inc. (CSE: AUOZ) (OTCQB: EMAUF) (FRA: 9NH) incorporate sustainable mining practices and others focus on recycling, the ecological toll of mineral production could gradually reduce.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Emperor Metals Inc. (CSE: AUOZ) (OTCQB: EMAUF) (FRA: 9NH) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/EMAUF
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