Colombia: Responsible Recovery of Mercury from Contaminated Artisanal Gold Mining Tailings

In collaboration with stakeholders from the government, civil society, private sector, and affected communities, this project supported national efforts to reduce the amount of mercury available for use in the ASGM sector as well as developed models to most effectively deal with mercury use and disposal. The project site was the country of Colombia, and the project team worked with many government entities under the framework of this project. More specifically, the team also worked in the mining communities at Juan Díaz Plant (in Yalí, Antioquia) and Las Mercedes Mine (in California, Santander), installing and training miners on the copper plates technology. The project team installed the first-ever mercury storage unit in Latin America at the facilities of the CDMB (local environmental authority in Bucaramanga, Santander).

ASGM is a traditional livelihood in Colombia, providing much needed income for many impoverished communities. An estimated 200,000–250,000 Colombians are engaged in ASGM activities. Currently, the prevailing method of ASGM in the country involves using large amounts of mercury to extract gold. A 2011 study conducted by the Colombian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADS) found that for every gram of gold extracted in the ASGM sector, approximately 7.05 grams of mercury are released into the environment, with a total of 298,228.75 kilograms (328.74 tons) released over the entire year.

Mercury contamination from these activities leads to significant air, soil, and water contamination and severe health impacts on local communities. Those most at risk are the miners themselves who are exposed not only through direct dermal contact but also through inhalation. Populations in proximity to these mining activities are also at significant risk, particularly the miners’ families and merchants involved in gold trade. If the use of mercury in artisanal mining does not decline, contamination will continue to poison generations of Colombians.

Population affected: 280+ miners trained in tailings management & storage of recovered mercury

Implementation partner/s: INNOVA, CNPML, Geoconsultores, Duke University

By the numbers:

• 9 technical documents and protocols for tailings management & mercury storage
• 2 new national frameworks for mercury recovery
• 2 copper plates modules implemented to recover mercury
• 1 mercury storage unit installed
• 300 tons of tailings processed
• 84% of mercury recovered from tailings in ideal conditions using the copper plates
• 63 national agencies engaged on the issue of mercury contamination
• 5 innovative mercury precipitating reagents tested
• 3 international virtual dissemination workshops

Read the Project Completion Report

Learn more:

Pure Earth Wins Grand Challenge For Innovation To Reduce Mercury