Assessing the Environmental Footprints of Gold Production in Nevada

Gold has always been regarded as a valuable commodity in high demand throughout history. Nevada is the leading producer of gold in the United States, and gold mining contributes to a significant part of Nevada’s economy. Depending on the types of gold ore and its mineralogical characteristics, several beneficiation and extraction methods are available for gold. Gold can be beneficiated by heap leaching, flotation, roasting, autoclave, or a combination of these techniques. Regardless of the rigorous environmental management standards, different gold processing routes can impact the ecosystem and human health since gold mining is a significant source of hazardous chemicals. In this study, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to evaluate the environmental performance of four main processes. Using the TRACI method, categories of ozone depletion, global warming, smog, acidification, eutrophication, carcinogenics, non-carcinogenics, respiratory effects, ecotoxicity, and fossil fuel depletion were evaluated for the processes that occurred for gold recovery.