Zacatecas (Mexico) Companies Extract Hg from Surface Soil Contaminated by Ancient Mining Industries |
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Authors: | Ogura Tetsuya Ramírez-Ortiz Jorge Arroyo-Villaseñor Zenaida Maria Hernández Martínez Sergio Palafox-Hernández Jesús Pablo García de Alba Luis Hugo Fernando Quintus |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Chemistry, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, Lomas del Valle, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico (author for correspondence 2. Unidad Académica de Ciencias Quimicas, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Carr. Cd. Cuauhtemoc, Gpe. Zac, 98600, Mexico 3. Department of Chemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, U.S.A
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Abstract: | In Zacatecas, Mexico, four plants are operating to extract Ag, Au, and Hg using CaS2O3 solution from surface soil containing tailings from the amalgamation method used during 1550–1900. The metal ions extracted are cemented by scrap Cu wires. Hg is separated by evaporation from the cemented amalgam and Ag and Au are obtained from the residue. A part of the soil to be leached was separated and leached as in the industrial process. Only 121 ppm of Hg was freed from 168 ppm of extractable Hg. About a half of the remaining Hg in the soil evaporated during 18 months. This confirms that the Hg in the soil is metallic. Pb and As are also freed in the same process. It is estimated that 13 000–34 000 t of Hg had been discarded in the extraction of Ag. |
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