Environmental challenges related to cyanidation in Central American gold mining; the Remance mine (Panama)

Mine tailings are a potential source of environmental pollution because they typically contain potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and the residue of chemical compounds used during extraction processes. The Remance gold mine (NW Panama) is a decommissioned mine with mining activity records dating from...

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Autores: González Valoys, Ana Cristina, Arrocha, Jonatha, Monteza Destro, Tisla, Vargas Lombardo, Miguel, Esbrí Víctor, José María, García Ordiales, Efrén, Jiménez Ballesta, Raimundo, García Navarro, Francisco Jesús, Higueras Higueras, Pablo León
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
Repositorio:RUIdeRA. Repositorio Institucional de la UCLM
OAI Identifier:oai:ruidera.uclm.es:10578/32242
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10578/32242
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Tailings
Potentially toxic elements (PTEs)
Total cyanide
Environmental assessment
Gold mine
Panama
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spelling Environmental challenges related to cyanidation in Central American gold mining; the Remance mine (Panama)González Valoys, Ana CristinaArrocha, JonathaMonteza Destro, TislaVargas Lombardo, MiguelEsbrí Víctor, José MaríaGarcía Ordiales, EfrénJiménez Ballesta, RaimundoGarcía Navarro, Francisco JesúsHigueras Higueras, Pablo LeónTailingsPotentially toxic elements (PTEs)Total cyanideEnvironmental assessmentGold minePanamaMine tailings are a potential source of environmental pollution because they typically contain potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and the residue of chemical compounds used during extraction processes. The Remance gold mine (NW Panama) is a decommissioned mine with mining activity records dating from the 1800s and several periods of abandonment. Very little remediation work has been performed, and waste is exposed to climatic conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the PTEs and cyanide contents in mine waste after mining operations ceased some 20 years ago, and to evaluate the degree of pollution and the environmental risks they pose with the use of the Pollution Load Index (PLI) and the Ecological Risk Index (RI). Although the total cyanide (T-CN) concentration (1.4–1.9 mg kg−1) found in most of the study area falls within the limits of gold mining tailing values for American sites (1.5–23 mg kg−1), it is worth noting that the values of the tailings of the last used mining operation exceed it (25.2–518 mg kg−1) and persist at the site. The PLI and RI suggest that the tailings from the mine and mine gallery sediments represent a source of pollution for soils and surrounding areas given their high content of PTEs (As, Cu, Sb, Hg) and T-CN, which pose serious ecological risks for biota. Therefore, it is necessary to draw up a remediation plan for this area.Elsevier202320232021info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10578/32242reponame:RUIdeRA. Repositorio Institucional de la UCLMinstname:Universidad de Castilla-La ManchaInglés270- 2019-109 (IFARHU of Panama)2020-GRIN-27011info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Spainhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/oai:ruidera.uclm.es:10578/322422026-05-27T07:36:41Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Environmental challenges related to cyanidation in Central American gold mining; the Remance mine (Panama)
title Environmental challenges related to cyanidation in Central American gold mining; the Remance mine (Panama)
spellingShingle Environmental challenges related to cyanidation in Central American gold mining; the Remance mine (Panama)
González Valoys, Ana Cristina
Tailings
Potentially toxic elements (PTEs)
Total cyanide
Environmental assessment
Gold mine
Panama
title_short Environmental challenges related to cyanidation in Central American gold mining; the Remance mine (Panama)
title_full Environmental challenges related to cyanidation in Central American gold mining; the Remance mine (Panama)
title_fullStr Environmental challenges related to cyanidation in Central American gold mining; the Remance mine (Panama)
title_full_unstemmed Environmental challenges related to cyanidation in Central American gold mining; the Remance mine (Panama)
title_sort Environmental challenges related to cyanidation in Central American gold mining; the Remance mine (Panama)
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv González Valoys, Ana Cristina
Arrocha, Jonatha
Monteza Destro, Tisla
Vargas Lombardo, Miguel
Esbrí Víctor, José María
García Ordiales, Efrén
Jiménez Ballesta, Raimundo
García Navarro, Francisco Jesús
Higueras Higueras, Pablo León
author González Valoys, Ana Cristina
author_facet González Valoys, Ana Cristina
Arrocha, Jonatha
Monteza Destro, Tisla
Vargas Lombardo, Miguel
Esbrí Víctor, José María
García Ordiales, Efrén
Jiménez Ballesta, Raimundo
García Navarro, Francisco Jesús
Higueras Higueras, Pablo León
author_role author
author2 Arrocha, Jonatha
Monteza Destro, Tisla
Vargas Lombardo, Miguel
Esbrí Víctor, José María
García Ordiales, Efrén
Jiménez Ballesta, Raimundo
García Navarro, Francisco Jesús
Higueras Higueras, Pablo León
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Tailings
Potentially toxic elements (PTEs)
Total cyanide
Environmental assessment
Gold mine
Panama
topic Tailings
Potentially toxic elements (PTEs)
Total cyanide
Environmental assessment
Gold mine
Panama
description Mine tailings are a potential source of environmental pollution because they typically contain potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and the residue of chemical compounds used during extraction processes. The Remance gold mine (NW Panama) is a decommissioned mine with mining activity records dating from the 1800s and several periods of abandonment. Very little remediation work has been performed, and waste is exposed to climatic conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the PTEs and cyanide contents in mine waste after mining operations ceased some 20 years ago, and to evaluate the degree of pollution and the environmental risks they pose with the use of the Pollution Load Index (PLI) and the Ecological Risk Index (RI). Although the total cyanide (T-CN) concentration (1.4–1.9 mg kg−1) found in most of the study area falls within the limits of gold mining tailing values for American sites (1.5–23 mg kg−1), it is worth noting that the values of the tailings of the last used mining operation exceed it (25.2–518 mg kg−1) and persist at the site. The PLI and RI suggest that the tailings from the mine and mine gallery sediments represent a source of pollution for soils and surrounding areas given their high content of PTEs (As, Cu, Sb, Hg) and T-CN, which pose serious ecological risks for biota. Therefore, it is necessary to draw up a remediation plan for this area.
publishDate 2021
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2021
2023
2023
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10578/32242
url http://hdl.handle.net/10578/32242
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv 270- 2019-109 (IFARHU of Panama)
2020-GRIN-27011
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Spain
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Spain
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:RUIdeRA. Repositorio Institucional de la UCLM
instname:Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
instname_str Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
reponame_str RUIdeRA. Repositorio Institucional de la UCLM
collection RUIdeRA. Repositorio Institucional de la UCLM
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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score 15.300724

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