The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) and the Ministry of Natural Resources have signed an agreement for the acquisition of mineral processing technology that can increase recovery of gold and ultimately reduce the use of mercury.
A joint release on Friday from the GGDMA and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) said that the “Riven Mineral Recovery System” will be pilot-tested for the next 12 months in Guyana’s mining sector. The release said that it is part of the GGDMA’s commitment to exploring and finding effective and feasible technological solutions to improve recovery effectiveness while reducing the use of mercury in small and medium scale (SMS) mining operations.
According to the release Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, stated that the government will be incentivizing miners to adopt improved recovery and mercury-free technologies. He noted that the Government of Guyana through the GGMC will continue to work towards maintaining Guyana’s momentum and reaffirming the country’s global commitment towards achieving the objectives of the Minamata Convention, in a realistic manner.
The GGDMA said over the years several options were touted as providing the solutions needed to enable miners to transition to mercury-free technologies. However, on closer analysis, the GGDMA became skeptical of these options, as they had cost and applicability challenges. Nevertheless, GGDMA continued the search for practical and adaptable technologies applicable to Guyana’s physical and financial operating environment. The purchase, and deploying for testing, of the Riven Mineral Recovery System also known as the “Maroker” will be jointly funded by the GGDMA and the Government of Guyana. The financial details were not disclosed in the press release. The GGDMA, according to the release, intends to inform and share the knowledge gained with SMS miners throughout Guyana as the technology is deployed and tested in a variety of geological environments and ore deposit types.
The GGDMA stated that over the years, miners have struggled to recover smaller particles of gold. This new system shows potential and could be the solution that small and medium scale miners can adopt, the release said. The Riven Mineral Recovery System is a continuous mineral recovery system, as opposed to other technologies such as the traditional sluice box; it has several potential benefits including: No use of chemicals, minimum use of water (recycling water through use of a special application dewatering hydro-cyclone where appropriate), high recovery of fine gold, reduced physical footprint, environmental and social benefits, and increased profit to the miner. The Riven Mineral Recovery System flowsheet consists of a coarse gold recovery circuit, followed by: a fine sizing and desliming circuits. The core of the Riven System revolves around a specially designed continuous cleaning Conveyor Micro Riffle Sluice engineered to improve retention of the fine, flat gold particles.
Mining has remained the backbone of the local economy directly or indirectly contributing to the economic well-being over 100,000 Guyanese, the release said. It added that in 2020, the industry’s export earnings were in excess of US$800 million and contributions to the national coffers amounted to US$60 million in taxes and royalties.
