Investigating the effectiveness of borax in gold purification with respect to the recovery

Abstract

With the increased environmental pollution and health effects in the communities within and around gold mining areas in Tiira, Uganda, this called for a attention on how this should be mitigated. Both the government of Uganda and some NGOs like the national environmental management authority (NEMA) in conjunction world health organization states it clear that this has been caused mercury disposal from mining activities. Tiira Uganda in eastern Uganda is one of the regions which carryout gold mining including mining on a small scale, where smallest scale miners earn a living. It’s noted that most miners use the mercury amalgamation method in gold processing, which disposes mercury to the environment in large quantities. This is released to the atmosphere, water bodies, soil, among others where human being, animals and fish inhale it and absorb it in their bodies, eat it through food, fish and causes very many healthy effects such damage of the nervous system, kidneys, liver, and immune system. Never the less it has not stopped on polluting the environment but also causing impurities in the gold processed using mercury amalgamation method. My project seeks to make research on the investigating the effectiveness of borax n gold purification as it may help give a beginning point for solving the problem. The objectives of my study include determining the gold grades at Tiira gold field; determine the efficiency of direct smelting with borax on my grades and then a lay a strategy of ensuring the miner adoptability to direct smelting wit borax. These are all entailed n chapter one. This chapter also talks about the introduction chic consists of the background of the problem, clearly states objectives, scope of my study and justification. Chapter two consists of literature review which elaborately shows how different scholars and researchers have successfully conducted research projects about comparison of the gold processing methods particularly direct smelting with borax and mercury amalgamation method commonly used by small scale gold artisanal across the world. The third chapter is comprised of the methodology applied. Upon collecting additional information from reports and journals, the searcher went ahead to carry out experiments, tests, which required data collection from different fields. here both qualitative and quantitative data was collected to aid in achieving the objectives. Chapter four talks about the results of all the activities carried out in my project well summarized and respective discussions.it also talks about the conclusion of my project where all the results are summarized, limitation as and challenges faced, which concerns with the pros, that tried to limit and stop the research from gong on smoothly, recommendations where some changes are needed for thing not going on well with in the same field and references showing the various cited articles, journals, among others, who made research about the same or related problem.