Environmental Impacts at a Gold Mining Enterprise in Bolivia

EMIRSA has used NaCN as leaching agent from the beginning at the Kori Kollo gold mine and does so until today. During the project of oxidised ores (1982–1992) heap leaching and subsequently the Merrill-Crowe-Process (precipitation with zinc dust) were applied, gaining a gold precipitate as product. The metallurgical process was changed with the mining of sulphide ores (1992–2003) in favour of leaching in agitated tanks including CIL (carbon-in-leach), followed by electrolysis and casting of bars of doré (an alloy of gold and silver).

The Kori Kollo gold mine is located about 200 km south-east of La Paz, Bolivia. It is run by Empresa Minera Inti Raymi S.A. (EMIRSA). EMIRSA has been undertaking open-pit mining at this site since 1982. The mining activities can be divided into five phases, involving oxidised and sulphide ores. This study provides an independent opinion on EMIRSA's performance at the Kori Kollo gold mine between 1982–2003 against concepts of best practice cyanide management, such as published by the Australian government. The discussion of the topic draws upon selected sources of information, using the Environmental Declaration (“Manifiesto Ambiental”) dating from 1997 (including subsequent amendments) as the main document of EMIRSA's environmental concern and behaviour.
Autor(en)
Thomas Reichard, Em.o.Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Karl E. Lorber, Jaime A. Rocha Valenzuela
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© Lehrstuhl für Abfallverwertungstechnik und Abfallwirtschaft
Publikation
Depotech (2008) (November 2008)
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