Water Footprint Assessment of Carbon in Pulp Gold Processing in Turkey
Open Access
- 29 July 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Sustainability
- Vol. 13 (15), 8497
- https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158497
Abstract
This paper presents water the footprint assessment (WFA) of carbon in pulp (CIP) gold processing. The main objectives of the study are determining grey and blue water footprints and identifying the hotspots of the process. Results revealed that the total blue water footprint, including the extraction and processing of the gold, was found to be 452.40 m3/kg Au, and the grey WF to be 2300.69 m3/kg Au. According to the results, the lost return flow on the direct blue WF side has the largest contribution, with a value of 260.61 m3/kg Au, and the only source of the lost return flow is the tailing pond. On the indirect side, it is seen that the oxygen consumption used for the leaching process has the highest value, with 37.38 m3/kg. Among the nine contaminants in the mine tailings, the critical component responsible for the grey water footprint is by far arsenic, with a value of 1777 m3/kg Au. The results will be used to make recommendations for reducing water consumption in mining operations, for a better design for the environment. The study is a pioneering study, being the first implementation of water footprint assessment in a gold mine in Turkey.This publication has 17 references indexed in Scilit:
- Heavy Metal Pollution from Gold Mines: Environmental Effects and Bacterial Strategies for ResistanceInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2016
- Assessing the blue-water footprint of an opencast platinum mine in South AfricaWater SA, 2015
- Quantification of water usage at a South African platinum processing plantWater SA, 2015
- Calculation of water footprint of the iron and steel industry: a case study in Eastern ChinaJournal of Cleaner Production, 2015
- Evaluating the application of water footprint methods to primary metal production systemsMinerals Engineering, 2014
- A preliminary water footprint assessment of copper production in ChinaWater Supply, 2014
- Water Footprint Assessment (WFA) for better water governance and sustainable developmentWater Resources and Industry, 2013
- The Blue Water Footprint of Primary Copper Production in Northern ChileJournal of Industrial Ecology, 2013
- New Technology for Arsenic Removal from Mining EffluentsJournal of Materials Research and Technology, 2012
- Reducing mine water requirementsJournal of Cleaner Production, 2012