cris.boxmetadata.label.title
Environmental impacts of the life cycle of alluvial gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest
cris.boxmetadata.label.dateissued
20 browse.startsWith.months.april 2019
cris.boxmetadata.label.accesslevel
metadata only access
cris.boxmetadata.label.resourcetype
journal article
cris.boxmetadata.label.authors
KAHHAT ABEDRABBO, RAMZY FRANCIS
Parodi E.
LARREA GALLEGOS, GUSTAVO MARTIN
Mesta C.
cris.boxmetadata.label.publisher
Elsevier B.V.
cris.boxmetadata.label.abstract
Alluvial gold mining activities in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest are responsible for mercury emissions and deforestation. To understand related environmental impacts, specifically toxicity and climate change, this study uses Life Cycle Assessment methodology. Four predominant extraction systems were selected and modelled and three scenarios that reflect currently available gold recovery systems were modelled: amalgamation, amalgamation with mercury recovery through retort system and gravimetric tables. The USEtox and IPCC life cycle impact assessment methods were used to assess the environmental impacts in term of human toxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity and climate change. Results show that for all systems, human toxicity values are governed by mercury emissions in gold recovery activities (ca. 80%). However, the use of retort significantly lowers these impacts (ca. 90%). Machines and diesel use for ore extraction and freighting activities drive freshwater ecotoxicity. Moreover, deforestation has a major contribution on the environmental impacts related to climate change. However, these impacts are dependent on the type of extraction system. Although human toxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity and climate change are frequently studied separately, a direct relationship between them has been identified in this system. Finally, beyond the environmental burdens related to alluvial gold mining, there are impacts affecting the social, cultural, and economic dimensions that will need to be analyzed to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the system.
cris.boxmetadata.label.citationstartpage
940
cris.boxmetadata.label.citationendpage
951
cris.boxmetadata.label.volume
662
cris.boxmetadata.label.language
English
cris.boxmetadata.label.ocdeknowledgeArea
Otras ingenierías y tecnologías
Mineralogía
cris.boxmetadata.label.subjects
cris.boxmetadata.label.doi
cris.boxmetadata.label.scopusidentifier
2-s2.0-85060705401
cris.boxmetadata.label.pubmedidentifier
cris.boxmetadata.label.source
Science of the Total Environment
cris.boxmetadata.label.containerissn
00489697
cris.boxmetadata.label.sponsor
The authors wish to thank the Dirección de Gestión de la Investigación (DGI) at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú for funding the Análisis de ciclo de vida de la expansión de la minería informal en la Amazonía Peruana project (Project ID: 455 ). The authors would also like to thank Jose Carlos Bustamante, Gabriel Arrriarán, France Cabanillas, Francisco Román and interviewees (miners, engineers and experts on alluvial mining) for their help throughout the project.
peru-layout.shadow-copies
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus