Botanical Gold Leaching | Bruce Cosgrove
🌿Botanical Alternatives: Toward Safer, Evidence-Based Gold Recovery
Bruce A. Cosgrove, BSc, MSc | Independent Scientific Researcher | Publication Preprint posted: Research Gate | February 2026
Structured Research Record
DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.19442.77769 →
Structured Record:Wikidata →
Introduction
The continued use of mercury, a potent neurotoxin in artisanal and small-scale gold mining remains one of the most persistent environmental and public-health challenges associated with mineral extraction. Despite decades of awareness, mercury-amalgamation persists due to its simplicity, low cost, and accessibility. However, growing regulatory pressure and healthconcerns have intensified the search for safer, low-toxicity alternatives.
Among the emerging approaches, applied botanical chemistry and plant-derived systems have attracted increasing attention as potential tools for mercury-free gold recovery →
When evaluated through the lens of solution chemistry and controlled processing, these systems offer a scientifically grounded pathway toward more sustainable extraction practices. Plant-derived lixiviants represent a transition toward non-toxic hydrometallurgical systems →
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Research Context
This article contributes to Bruce A. Cosgrove's broader research into mercury-free gold recovery, alternative extraction chemistry, and environmentally compatible mineral-processing systems →
The research examines plant-derived lixiviants, alternative complexation chemistry, solution behavior, mercury-reduction strategies, and lower-toxicity approaches to gold extraction and artisanal and small-scale mining.
🌿 Explore Mercury-Free Botanical Gold Recovery →
Explore the research, publications, and applied chemistry behind botanical and alternative approaches to mercury- and cyanide-dependent gold-processing systems.