Study water environmental implications due to processing gold in Dak Sa gold mine, Quang Nam

Abstract

     In the mining industry, cyanide which converts the gold into a water-soluble cyanide complex Au (CN)₂, is widely used a reagent for extracting gold from ores. Mine wastewater resulted in processing gold impacts on the local ecosystem. The wastewater is contaminated with a high cyanide and heavy metal species concentration. An effluent should be treated so as to avoid ecological impacts. In this paper the status of the gold processing and its environmental implications in Dak Sa gold mine in Quang Nam Provice have been investigated. Based on monitoring data, it shown that treated waste water and surface water quality at receiving water source at Dak Sa stream appear clear and concentrations of cyanide, metals, TSS, COD, BOD₅ and pH do not exceed the safety level of Vietnamese standards.