An Examination, Solution, and Transformative Strategy to Replace Mercury and Cyanide Salts in Artisanal Small-Scale Mining (ASM): Southern Ecuador.

Published: Environmental Chemistry eJournal January 31, 2025. 

This paper proposes a four-stage transformative strategy to introduce Manipueira, an extract solution derived from the cyanogenic bitter cassava plant (Manihot esculenta Crantz) to technology compatible artisanal small-scale ore and tailings processing center owners in Ecuador's Portovelo-Zaruma mining district as a sustainable alternative to mercury- a potent neurotoxin and  synthetic cyanide salts used to recover gold. 

Additionally, this paper reviews several mercury-free gold recovery methods used by artisanal miners and small mining communities that typically process less than one tonne of ore per day, often without mechanization or formal permits. It identifies their key benefits and evaluates the scalability to small-scale mining operations incorporating partial mechanization and processing capacities ranging from 10 to 100 tonnes per day.

Finally, it presents an illustrative design for a 50-tonne-per-day world's first Manipueira-based precious metals ore and tailings leaching center.

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