Gold recycling could be sustainable alternative to gold mining
New research has surfaced suggesting that recycling gold could be an environmentally friendly alternative to both artisanal and industrial mining, which could even reduce environmental damage done by mining, and even outperform ‘green’ gold mining, which uses sustainable extraction methods.
Researchers presented their findings at a sustainability conference in Japan in November, revealing that recycling used gold, especially from high-value end-of-life sources like old jewelry, produces the lowest environmental footprint. According to data published in the journal, Nature Sustainability, in 2024, this process emits only 22-50 kilograms of CO2 per kilogram of gold.
The Mining Impacts Calculator quantifies the environmental costs of mining in monetary terms, highlighting the extensive damage caused by carbon emissions from ASGM in Brazil’s Tapajós River region, a key Amazon tributary. Pedro Gasparinetti, an economist at the Conservation Strategy Fund and lead developer of the calculator, reported that gold mining in the area emitted 75,752 metric tons of CO2 equivalent in 2020, based on data from the 2024 study.
“The carbon footprint is a fundamental problem in gold mining, both ASM and industrial mining,” said Mario Schmidt, professor of environmental management at Pforzheim University in Germany.
“Here, the only solution is recycling, although care must be taken to ensure that primary gold is not illegally mixed with recycled gold.”
Schmidt explained that while there is no physical shortage of gold, humanity’s association of the metal with wealth drives an insatiable desire for more. He noted that tens of thousands of tons of gold already stockpile in banks and reserves, such as Fort Knox in the U.S., yet ongoing extraction persists, intensifying environmental harm.
Mercury pollution risks indigenous communities
Gold prices surged recently due to strong demand, rising by 28 per cent in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year and reaching an all-time high.
Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) releases significant mercury pollution as miners use the toxic metal to extract gold from ore. The study reports that miners annually discharge at least 2.5 metric tons of mercury into the Tapajós region, contaminating waterways and soil. Even with vapor-capturing retorts, miners still release 0.19 kilograms of mercury for every kilogram of gold extracted, exposing local communities to toxic residues and harmful vapors.
Mercury pollution affects more than just the environment. Indigenous and riverine communities in the Tapajós River Basin, including the Munduruku people, face severe health risks.
Research conducted from 2017 to 2021 by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazil’s leading public health institute, found mercury contamination in every individual tested from three Munduruku villages, with 60 per cent of women showing mercury levels above the World Health Organization’s safety threshold.
Prolonged droughts, intensified by climate change, have forced many in the Amazon to rely on polluted rivers for drinking water, worsening the mercury crisis.
On November 9, the Brazilian government launched an operation to remove illegal gold miners from the Munduruku Indigenous Territory after years of inaction. Officials described the operation as a critical step in mitigating the “extensive damage” caused by mining activities in the area.
Brazil’s environmental protection agency, IBAMA, has imposed 9 million reais (USD$1.5 million) in fines as part of initial enforcement efforts. ICMBio, the agency overseeing protected areas, added 20.27 million reais (USD$3.37 million) in penalties. Authorities seized thousands of liters of diesel fuel and mining equipment, causing illegal operators an estimated loss of 44.5 million reais (USD$7.4 million).
The mercury crisis affects Brazil and other Amazonian countries. Researchers from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation found that nearly 92 per cent of Indigenous inhabitants tested in the Yanomami Indigenous Territory, located about 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) north of the Munduruku reserve, had mercury levels above safe thresholds. In Peru’s Cenepa River, mercury-contaminated sediment and water endanger the health of the Awajun people, who rely on fish as a dietary staple.
Banning ASGM outright risks causing unintended consequences, according to the 2024 study. These bans often push miners into more remote, ecologically sensitive areas, escalating conflicts with Indigenous groups and making it harder to enforce environmental regulations.
The 2024 study warns that banning ASGM outright can unintentionally drive miners into more remote, ecologically sensitive areas. This displacement often escalates conflicts with Indigenous groups and complicates efforts to enforce environmental regulations.
Mercury-free extraction methods and other cleaner technologies offer promising solutions, but their high costs prevent most miners from adopting them. Support to help mining communities transition to sustainable practices or alternative sources of income remains limited.
Sustainable agriculture, ecotourism, and forest restoration have shown potential to reduce reliance on mining. However, these alternatives face significant challenges, including limited funding and small-scale implementation.
Recycling gold offers promise but faces challenges. The industry lacks transparency, with concerns that refineries may mislabel newly mined gold as recycled. This practice undermines consumer trust and threatens the credibility of green gold certifications, according to the research presented in November.
According to the World Gold Council, gold recycling has increased by 11 per cent from 2023 and now accounts for a quarter of the world’s supply.
The study emphasizes the need for stricter certification standards and traceable supply chains to maintain the credibility of sustainability claims. It also points out that while industrial recycling of electronic waste is less damaging than mining, the processes, which involve burning plastics and smelting, still release carbon emissions. Informal recycling methods, such as open burning, exacerbate these problems by releasing toxic waste and untreated pollutants into the environment.
Coordinated global action is necessary to address ASGM’s environmental and social challenges. Initiatives like the U.N.’s Minamata Convention on Mercury provide frameworks to reduce mercury use, urge countries to phase out its use in products, ban the opening of new mercury mines, and limit its emission into the environment.
“ASGM is one important issue in the [Minamata] convention, with article 7 requiring countries to draft National Action Plans (NAPs) for handling and reducing mercury usage in ASGM,” according to the 2024 study.
Tackling the illegal mercury trade, which supplies up to 73 per cent of the mercury used in Brazilian gold mines, is equally critical.
The mercury primarily comes from neighbouring countries like Bolivia and Guyana, and its use in gold mining has no legal source, according to a 2023 report by the Escolhas Institute.
Source: https://mugglehead.com/