Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
27th International Mining Congress and Exhibition of Turkey, IMCET 2022, Antalya, Türkiye, 22 - 25 Mart 2022, ss.940-946
© IMCET 2022. All rights reserved.The main objectives of this study are determining grey and blue water footprints and identifying the hotspots of the carbon in pulp (CIP) gold processing using water footprint assessment (WFA). Results revealed that the total blue water footprint, including the extraction and processing of the gold, was found 452.40 m3/kg Au, and the grey WF 2300.69 m3/kg Au. On the direct blue WF side the lost return flow has the largest contribution, with a value of 260.61 m3/kg Au, and the only source of the lost return flow is the tailing pond. On the indirect side, it is seen that the oxygen consumption used for the leaching process has the highest value, with 37.38 m3/kg. For the grey water footprint, the critical component is by far arsenic among the nine contaminants in the mine tailings, with a value of 1777 m3/kg Au. The results will be used to make recommendations for reducing water consumption in mining operations and to develop sustainable design for environment. The study is a pioneering study, being the first implementation of water footprint assessment in gold mining in Turkey.