Gold mining began in ancient times. In the entire history of mankind, approximately 168.9 thousand tons of precious metal have been mined, almost 50% of which goes to a variety of jewelry. If all the gold mined was collected in one place, then a cube would be formed the height of a 5-storey building with an edge of 20 meters.
Golden story
Gold is a metal that mankind met at least 6500 years ago. The most ancient is the treasure found in the Varna Necropolis, which is located in Bulgaria, and the items are dated to 4600 BC.
Gold has played an important role throughout the history of mankind, it is still considered a reliable investment. Currencies have come and gone, but it has remained a universal and stable benchmark for thousands of years.
Owning this metal has always been prestigious. Not only well-being was evaluated by the amount of gold, but the situation in society depended on it. This is still happening today.
Gold was often the cause of war and crime, but at the same time it played a huge role in the progress of mankind in general. On its basis, the monetary system began to take shape, cultural values and architectural masterpieces were created, which are priceless and still amaze everyone. Thanks to the desire to produce this metal, scientists have obtained many chemical elements, and gold rush helped to discover and develop new lands.
How is gold mined in Russia
In the upper crust of the earth's layer, gold is contained in small quantities, but there are a lot of such deposits and sites. Russia is in 4th place in the ranking for its production and has 7% of the global share.
Gold was commercially mined in 1745. The first mine was discovered by the peasant Erofei Markov, who announced his whereabouts. Subsequently, they began to call him Berezovsky.
Today in Russia there are 16 companies that mine this precious metal. The leader is Polyus Gold, which has 1/5 of the share of the entire mining market. Diligent artels mainly mine metal in the Magadan, Irkutsk and Amur Regions, Chukotka, Krasnoyarsk and Khabarovsk Territories.
Gold mining is a complex, laborious and expensive process. Reduce such costs by closing low-profit and unprofitable mines. Reducing the volume of exploration work and introducing new technologies that save capital are quite effective measures.
Gold mining process
As centuries passed, the process of mining this metal was constantly changing. Initially, manual gold mining was popular. Prospectors got golden sand thanks to simple primitive devices. River sand was poured into the tray, and then it was shaken in a stream of water, the sand was washed off, and the grains of metal remained at the bottom, since they were heavier. This method is often used at the present time.
However, this is not the only extraction process. For example, earlier along the rivers one could often find gold nuggets. They were thrown to land during the erosion of gold-bearing veins in a natural way. However, by the twentieth century, there were no rich placers left, and they learned to extract gold from ore.
Nowadays, gold mining by hand is rarely practiced, the process is completely mechanized, but at the same time it is very complicated. A deposit is considered profitable, in which 3 g of gold is accounted for per ton. With a content of 10 g, it is considered rich.
Methods for extracting gold from ore
A few years ago, such a method as amalgamation was often used, which is based on the special property of mercury to envelop gold. Mercury was placed at the bottom of the barrel, then gold-bearing rock was shaken in it. As a result, even the smallest particles of gold simply stuck to it. After this, the mercury was separated from the waste rock, and with strong heating, the gold exfoliated. However, this method also has disadvantages, since mercury itself is very toxic. At the same time, she still does not give all the gold, since the very tiny particles of the precious metal are poorly wetted.
The second method is more modern - gold is leached with sodium cyanide, which is able to convert even the smallest particles into cyanide water-soluble compounds. And then gold is extracted from them with the help of reagents. In this way, you can get precious metal even from already abandoned deposits, which makes them profitable again.
Getting gold at home
Manual gold mining is also possible at home. In order to mine it, you do not need to go to the mines and shake trays for hours. There are more calm and civilized methods. Around there are a lot of items that contain gold. For example, the old Soviet watches in their yellow cases contained a real pure precious metal without impurities.
In order to get it from there, you just need to buy such watches in very large quantities. Then you will need a plastic bucket and a bowl, an electric stove, razor blades, a glass heat-resistant pan, a brush and cotton filter cloth, rubber gloves and a spray bottle. Of the chemicals you need nitric and hydrochloric acids.
Recycling begins when you already have 300 cases in your hands. The process takes only 4 hours, while you use up 4 liters of acid. From such a number of cases you can get 75 grams of pure gold.
Gold production using etching method
Who would have thought, but everyone, even children, carry gold in their pockets and bags every day. Everything is simple - each SIM card for a mobile phone contains a certain amount of precious metal. It can be removed from there. This is done in two ways: by electrolysis or by etching. For the latter, the chemical reagent "royal vodka" is needed.
The simplest method is considered to be etching, in which gold is obtained due to the chemical inertness of the precious metal, namely, its ability to react with other elements. For etching, you need an oxidizer "royal vodka", which is made from concentrated acids: hydrochloric and nitric. The liquid has an orange-yellow color.
Gold from the water
Gold mining is also possible from water. It is contained in it, and in any: sewer, sea, water, but in very small quantities. For example, in the marine, it exists in a proportion of 4 mg per ton. Despite this, it can still be mined using quicklime, which will require only a ton of 4.5 thousand tons of water.
In order to get gold from sea water, you will need to mix it with milk of lime. After some time, the liquid must be released back into the sea, and precious metals should be removed from the sediment. Kirov engineers offer another non-waste method in which lime is replaced with ash from thermal power plants. This method is considered the least expensive of all known.
Golden bacteria
In Canada, scientists generally discovered bacteria that are capable of secreting gold from various solutions. Amazing right? For example, the bacterium Delftia acidovorans has a substance that just releases the precious metal from the solution. And the reason is simple - it simply protects itself by protecting itself from gold ions, which are toxic to it. The second bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans, on the contrary, accumulates it inside itself.
Both were found in 2006 in the "gold" mines. Studies by Canadians have shown that bacteria that accumulate gold manage to avoid poisoning due to their genetic nature.
Dredge
Gold is also mined using dredges. They are called floating mining machines that have excavation, concentration or other equipment that provides comprehensive mechanization of the mining process. They enrich minerals and remove
waste rocks.The purpose of dredges is to develop irrigated mineral deposits and extract valuable components (gold, platinum, tin, etc.). They are mainly used in alluvial, deluvial, deep and coastal sedimentary and placer deposits. The only exceptions are bouldery, strong rocks and viscous clays.
Types of Dredges
Dredges are divided into two classes.
- Marine, with the help of which deposits of the coastal zone and deep mines in lakes and oceans are developed. They are mounted on keel towed or self-propelled vessels that provide operation during a storm.
- Continental, which is used to develop deposits on the continents. Mounted on a flat-bottomed vessel.
Dredges are classified by:
- the type of energy that drive mechanisms use;
- deep dredging of rocks in the section below the water level;
- the type of apparatus (there are many scoops with an intermittent chain, with a continuous chain, a rotor complex, a dragline bucket, a clamshell bucket);
- scoop capacity (large, medium and small);
- maneuvering method (cable-anchor and cable-pile).
On the territory of the Russian Federation, dredges are now used for gold mining, mainly in the Far Eastern Federal District. However, mining by this method can adversely affect the ecosystem, destroy river landscapes, and severely pollute the territory located downstream.
Therefore, this method can only be used with careful observance of development projects. For their implementation, the restoration of lands that were disturbed by mining operations, as well as the restoration of forests, soil and vegetation of river valleys will be required.
How to make a dredge for gold mining yourself
Many miners mining gold would like to have their own dredge, while significantly saving on costs, since the prices for this equipment are very high. In this case, the easiest way to do it yourself. Despite the fact that the materials will be purchased at the lowest cost, it will still take a certain amount to create a dredge.
Initially, you need to make lists and assembly schemes, for this you can take as an example the most famous dredges for gold mining at the moment. In principle, the first stage is the study, the more you know about them, the better and better you will make your own.
Some important details can be found in an ordinary landfill, and get them for a pittance, for example, an engine for the device. Next, you need to determine the size of the dredge, the larger it is - the more soil can be processed, but its weight and cost will also be higher than that of a small assembled product.
You need to build it with a hose diameter of up to 12 cm, so that you can control the dredge yourself. The most optimal size is 10 cm. If you need compressed air, you need to purchase an air compressor, diving equipment and an air intake tank. However, this is not the first necessity; this can be done only later.
In order to build a coveted apparatus, you will need: an engine with a pump, a variety of tools (hacksaw, hammer, wrenches, screwdrivers). It does not hurt to purchase a welding machine. You can buy used parts, but some, especially important and problematic or difficult to replace, it’s better to buy new ones in the store.
Some details of the dredge are often impossible to do with your own hands, so you will still have to purchase them: engine, water pump, air compressor, hose, ore washing chute. It is the latter that is the most important detail; without it, gold is simply not captured; accordingly, the entire constructed apparatus loses its meaning.
The bell of the dredge should be installed in the head of the gateway so that it directs flows of water and soil into it. A suction valve draws water into the pump (this is also one of the important details). If sand is sucked in, the pump can break quickly, so you cannot drag without a valve.
The hydraulic elevator is placed at the end of the hose, while water is supplied to the beginning and a vacuum is created. It is best to use a suction nozzle. Driving an elevator on large drags is difficult, so the application is mainly on small machines if the work is done in shallow water.
The buoyancy of the device is a separate stage in the creation of a dredge. It can be provided in several ways. Originally used tires from trucks, they weigh a little and are cheap. The only obstacle is that getting them is not as easy as it might seem. However, this would be the best option.
Now many drag manufacturers use plastic pontoons. They are quite reliable, but also heavy. However, there are many options here. Some dredges that gather at home have various plastic pontoons. One of the interesting ways is when using plastic containers or barrels with a capacity of up to 40 liters. You can buy them quite inexpensively. If you are not sorry to spend a large amount, but to buy ready-made, then it is easier to purchase from the manufacturer.
Another major detail affecting buoyancy is the frame. It is on it that the motor and the ore washing trough are mounted. If you do it yourself, you can take simple pieces of aluminum that are easy to find at any landfill. It will cost inexpensively, almost no effort is required. If the frame is flat, then tires from the truck simply attach to it.
You can check the operation of the dredge after its complete assembly. To do this, take two dozen small pieces of lead, which are aligned and painted in bright color. Soil is collected in the pond, and they are placed there. That's just on it and you can try the dredge. See how many pieces of lead returned after flushing the rock. During normal operation of the dredge, losses are possible only up to 2 pieces. If there is not enough lead, then you should once again check the entire assembly according to the scheme, and if necessary, carry out additional improvements.
Future gold mining plans
Gold deposits are becoming less and less, they are now being discovered mainly in South Africa, others are being significantly depleted, and it is simply unprofitable to develop deposits with low and medium precious metal contents.
According to experts, mineral reserves that contain gold can be developed for another 50 years. Then they will run out. Just because humanity has been mining gold very intensively in recent decades. And it becomes in nature less and less. Now we have to find new opportunities for the extraction of this metal over the coming years. Gold leaching technology is considered the most promising method.
In recent years, much has been said about the development of the ocean as another way of mining gold. There are a lot of sea placers and deposits, but the bottom has not yet been fully explored. It is possible that it is in the ocean that most of the deposits of precious metal are hidden. Our descendants have to find out.