Aplicabilidad del concepto de huella hídrica en la minería aurífera

Abstract

The gold mining is an activity that puts pressure on the state of natural resources by extraction and smelting processes, directly altering hydrological models of watersheds and socio-economic dynamics of the sector in which the activity is developed. In order to represent the dimension of the demand on water resources and pollution, it is used - for further study and understanding- the water footprint indicator that, by means of different variables (water consumption, flow, pollution load, production, among others), approximates the amount of water incorporated to produce a product and additionally, the water required to dilute the pollutant load associated with the process. Based on the results of this indicator, the purpose is to find and implement solutions, change behavior, and modify activities, so that the water is managed as an essential component of sustainable development. The present monograph introduces the reader to the state of the art of the study of the water footprint in gold mining, describing the main processing routes for the production of gold, integrating the concept of water footprint and performing an analysis of the data reported for this indicator. The analysis data show significant differences between the kind of mining and the applied technologies, however, the reported water footprints show that the main problem associated with gold mining is the alteration of water quality pollution with mercury and cyanide.