Local gold miners earlier this week attended a demonstration exercise for the RP4 Gravity Shaker Table, a mercury-free gold recovery method at the North Road premises of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA).
The RP4 Shaker Table is one of three United States-manufactured Shaker Tables – the other two being a one-ton single deck Shaker Table and a two-ton double deck Shaker Table – which is being imported into Guyana by local mining supplies distributor B&M Trading Enterprises.
GGDMA President Patrick Harding who was present during the demonstration said that it was likely to be one of several initiatives to be undertaken collaboratively by the GGDMA and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) as the industry pursues its search for viable options to the use of mercury in the gold recovery process.
B&M Proprietor Davendra Baldeo told Stabroek Business that he was seeking to work with the GGDMA and the GGMC to ensure that miners in various parts of the country secured access to demonstrations and Harding confirmed that the collaborative initiative between the GGDMA and the GGMC could include interior on-site demonstrations.
Gold industry watchers have raised the issue of the likely higher costs of mercury-free gold mining, though Harding said that the costs associated with acquiring mercury-free technology must be measured against the increased levels of gold recovery which mercury-free technology like the Shaker Table will yield.
Stabroek Business understands that the RP4 Shaker Table is likely to be sold on the local market for around US$3,500 and that the fuel costs associated with its field operation could reach $3,000 per day. The RP4 Shaker Table is capable of processing 600 pounds of ore per hour.
Recently, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud said it could be ten years before mercury ceases to be part of the gold mining sector. Asked to comment on the statement, Harding said that while he could not speak for the minister he was assured that the stakeholders in the sector were working towards the realisation of a mercury-free gold mining sector at the earliest possible time.
