reducing mercury emmisions in amazonia

Reducing Mercury Emmisions of Small Scale Gold Buying Shops in Amazonia

Designing and implementing low cost, easy to build and effective mercury capture systems in gold shops in Brazil and Peru

Presentation Outline

1. Overview of the EPA “Gold Shop” Project

2. Measuring the problem: Gold shop emmisions

3. Designing and testing a viable and appropriate solution in Brazil

4. Experiences in Madre de Dios, Peru

“Reducing Mercury Emisiones in Artisanal and Small Scale Mining”

Direction – Bailey, Engle and Fernandez

Technology Design and Enginering - Habeggar

Communication and Disemination – Ramierez and Pinto

Project Started in August 2006

Countries: Brazil, Peru

Why focus on Gold Shops?

Burn Mercury-gold amalgam during gold purchasing

Typically have little or no control of emmited airbourne mercury

Regional funnel points for ASM gold production

Located in regional economic centers Located in regional population centers –

high human exposure rates Gold shops have been an underserved

link in the ASM gold production chain in regards to mercury management.

Sediments processed with mercury

Amalgam (Hg-Au)

(50% mercury)

Simplified ASM gold processing cycle

Sediments processed with mercury

Burned in the field

Amalgam (Hg-Au)

(50% mercury)

Amalgam (Hg-Au)

(5-15 % mercury)

Simplified ASM gold processing cycle

Sediments processed with mercury

Burned in the Field

Purified gold

Amalgam (Hg-Au)

(50% mercury)

Amalgam (Hg-Au)

(5-15% mercury)Burned in the Gold Shops

Simplified ASM gold processing cycle

Purified Gold

Amalgam(5-15 % mercury)

Mercury Released to

the Environmen

t

Burned in the Gold shop

Simplified ASM gold processing cycle

Purified Gold

Amalgam(5-15 % mercury)

Mercury Released to

the Environmen

t

Mercury Capture System

Burned in the Gold shop

Simplified ASM gold processing cycle

Itaituba

Creporizão

Itaituba, Pará (pop. 25,000) Creporizão (pop. ~1000)

Located in the Tapajos region Major gold producing region in Brasil Area: 100,000 km2

20,000 Garimpeiros

Puerto Maldonado, Peru (pop. 25,000) Laberinto (pop. ~2000)

Located in Madre de Dios department Primary Gold producing region in Peru

Project Study Areas

Puerto Maldonado & Laberinto

Data CollectionPuerto Maldonado / LaberintoMadre de Dios , Peru (May/Sept 2008)

EPA/Argonne teams were accompanied by local and regional government officials during inspections.

Visual inspections of Gold Shops to assess ventilation and existing mercury capture technology.

Measurement of mercury concentrations inside Gold Shops, in public areas adjacent to Gold Shops zone and in ambient air in the community.

Mercury Analyzers Used Lumex RA-915 Mercury analyzer Jerome 431-X Mercury analyzer Mercury Tracker 3000

Data Collection Itaituba/Creporizão, Brazil (October 2006)

Itaituba,Brazil - December 2006

Itaituba, Brazil - December 2006

Puerto Maldonado / Laberinto - May 2008

Study Results Itaituba/ Creporizão, Brazil

Amalgams have an average mercury content of 10 %

Most gold shops had no mercury control measures

Most gold shops had mercury concentrations above WHO standards.

Most gold shop owners and managers said they wanted a system to contol mercury emmisions but:

Existing systems were too expensive ( US $5000 – $25,000 ) A system was not required by government authorities

The municipal governments said the wanted to regulate but: There was no technology available that was affordable to most of the regulated

community.

Shops with Mercury Control TechnologyMadre de Dios, Peru

No Control 9 System not working 2----------------------------Total

11

No Control 6 System not working 1----------------------------Total

7

No Control 13 System not working 0----------------------------Total

13

Mercury Concentrations Inside Gold ShopsAverage concentration, 11 shops in Puerto Maldonado

Reference Value: WHO maximum occupational Air Standard OSM: 20 mcg/m3

Mercury Concentrations adjacent to Gold ShopsAverage concentration, 11 shops in Puerto Maldonado

Reference Value: WHO maximum ambient air standard : 1 mcg/m3

Designing a Mercury Capture System Design Principles

1. Effective in capturing mercury vapor and aerosols to reduce environmental release and human exposure

2. Affordable for the majority of gold shops in developing countries

3. Easy to construct using locally available materials and local technologies

4. Low maintenance

Argonne engineers developed prototypes using dynamic thermodynamic aerosol simulation models and proven ventilation engineering theory.

EPA Mercury Capture System

EPA Mercury Capture System

Interior of the top cone showing the flow smoothening vane

The system contains a powerful extractor fan to create negative air pressure to draw exhaust into the System

A series of baffle plates act as impaction surfaces for mercury aerosols to strike and coagulate .

The extractor fan and the baffle plates are joined in a single unit that is easy to transport and insert into a 200 liter drum.

Baffle Plates

Flexible System InstallationItaituba and Creporizao, Brazil

>80% measured removal efficiency

Mercury Concentrations in Exhaust Mean of 6 tests runs burning 100% mercury samples

Exhaust without treatment: 1580 mg/m3

Exhaust with treatment : 330 mg/m3

Pilot system efficiency testsBrazil, July 2007

Cost of system: Materials + Labor + Installation ~ US $450

Potential Mercury Emmisions Prevented

If a gold shop processes 100 kg of gold amalgam per year

and

Assuming the amalgam contains 10% mercury

then

Air Mercury emmisions for this shop = 10 kg mercury per year (100 kg x 10% mercury = 10 kg)

With recommended instalation and use, a Mercury Capture System running at a 80 % capture efficiency

would result in

8 kg of mercury emmision prevented per year per Gold Shop

EPA Mercury Capture System Advantages

•Affordable-- $450 (Brazil and Peru)

•Lightweight - 50 kg •Easily transportable

•Simple Construction: •Uses commonly available drums•1- 1.5 days in a small metal shop

•Simple straightfoward Instalation• 3 hours labor (avg; Peru and Brazil)

•Mercury capture rates at 80 % with recommended installation and operation

Recent activities in Madre de Dios, Peru 2008 Objectives

1. Install pilot system in a gold shop in Puerto Maldonado

2. Conduct the first workshop to disseminate the Mercury Capture System in Peru

Federal, State and Municipal governments actively supported the pilot system installtion and the workshop

Installation of a Pilot System Sept 19 2008, Puerto Maldonado

Proof that system can be adapted to conditions in Peruvian gold shops indicating robust design.

Several shop owners had volunteered their shops for initial installation financed by US EPA.

Gold Shop selected by goverment officials was a high emmiting shop, processing about 3 kilos of gold per day.

High emitting shopBurns 3 kg gold / day

High levels of mercury avg. 450 mcg/m3 during burns

(WHO reference: 20 mcg/m3 )

Niveles de Mercurio A & M Metals , Puerto Maldonado

Referencia Maximo de Aire Ocupacional (industral) OSM: 20 mcg/m3 Mercurio (WHO occupational maximum)

Effects of Mercury Capture System Installation Mercury Concentrations Inside shop - A & M Metals , Puerto Maldonado

Reference Value: WHO maximum occupational Air Standard OSM: 20 mcg/m3

Primer Seminario Sistema Colector de MercurioPuerto Maldonado: September 19, 2008

Estimated Participants: 30Actual Participants: 61

Representatives from de:•Federal, State and Municipal Governments•Miners associations•Gold shops•Universities•Hospitals•Press

The mayor of Puerto Maldonado gave the opening address.

Primer Seminario Sistema Colector de MercurioPuerto Maldonado: 9/19/08

Workshop Topics:•Mercury in ASM

•Effects of Mercury on Human Health

•Advantages of the Mercury Capture System

•Construction and Cost of the System

•Hand on demo of a sample system

•Site visit to installed working system in Gold shop

Mercury Reduction is Artisanal Mining in the Brazilian Amazon

Mercury Reduction in Artisanal Mining in the Peruvian Amazon

Lima: Ministry of Energy and Mines

•Conducted 4 public workshops at the ministry of Energy and Mines regarding Mercury Management in Gold Shops in ASM.

Discussions with Vice Minister Felipe Isasi, Ministry of Minesto catalyze action on addressing mercury in gold shops and disseminating the Mercury Capture System technology throughout Peru

Lima: Ministry of Energy and Mines

EPA Mercury Capture System Advantages

•Affordable-- $450 (Brazil and Peru)

•Lightweight - 50 kg •Easily transportable

•Simple Construction: •Uses commonly available drums•1- 1.5 days in a small metal shop

•Simple straightfoward Instalation• 3 hours labor (avg; Peru and Brazil)

•Mercury capture rates at 80 % with recommended installation and operation

For more informationMarilyn EngleUS Environmental Protection Agency, Office of International Affairsengle.marilyn@epa.gov

Luis E. FernandezArgonne National Laboratory / Stanford Universitylfernandez@anl.gov

Loren HabeggerArgonne National Laboratorylhabegger@anl.gov

Daniela Pinto ECODATA mercurio@ecodata.org.br

Acknowledgements Ministerio de Energia y Minas (MEM), Lima

Ing. Fredesbindo Vaquez Fernandez

Ministerio de Energia y Minas (MEM), Officina de Pequena Minera y Mineria Artesanal, Puerto Maldonado

Ing. David Cuadros Torres

Consejo National del Ambiente (CONAM), Puerto Maldonado Jennifer Zavala Arsque Maria Ysabel Amador Chavez

Direccion Regional de Energias y Minas Ing. Ronny Pastor Velasquez,

Embajada de los E.E U.U Miguel Yepez Estaban Sandoval

Amazon Conservation Association Luis Betancourt

Thank you for your attention.