Books in Review Papers from effluent treatment seminars

For every ounce of gold poured in Canada, the average gold mine produces about 4.2 tonnes of mill tailings. And for 52 of the 65 gold mills operating in the country, this solid-liquid mixture contains not only fine particles of relatively harmless waste rock and water but also substantial quantities of cyanide and metals that are damaging to the environment.

Since cyanide in various chemical forms occurs in greatest abundance in mill waste streams, it is of greatest concern to mill operators. Free cyanide, even in concentrations as minute as 0.05 mg per litre, is known to be lethal to certain species of fish.

In the past decade, important efforts were made to develop and implement chemical treatment systems so that gold mill effluents meet government regulatory requirements.

For their part, Environment Canada, the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, the British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, the Mining Association of British Columbia and the Ontario Mining Association organized two seminars to keep mill operators informed on the track records of these gold effluent treatment systems. A total of 23 mills ar e using some form of chemical treatment.

The first seminar was held in Vancouver, Feb. 15-16, 1989, and the second in Mississauga, Ont., March 22-23, 1989.

The importance of the subject is reflected in the number of participants in meetings. Over 300 people from the mining industry, consulting firms, the government and universities attended.

Now others can examine, at their leisure, the 33 papers presented at these two seminars. They have been compiled in one volume by Environment Canada.

Also, the Wastewater Technology Centre, in collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and The Canadian Association on Water Pollution Research and Control, has produced a training video on correct procedures for cyanide analysis in the laboratory. The video is accompanied by a brochure that gives a detailed, step-by- step description of methods of analyses for both total cyanide and weak acid dissociable cyanide.

The video, priced at $125, can be purchased through Bill Holton of the Wastewater Technology Centre.

Proceedings for the Gold Mining Effluent Treatment Seminars. Published by Environment Canada. Available from The Canadian Association on Water Pollution Research and Control, The Wastewater Technology Centre, P.O. Box 5050, Burlington, Ont. L7R 4A6. 414 pages. $35.