| Abstract Scope |
Throughout history, gold has always been regarded as a valuable commodity in high demand. Nevada is the leading producer of gold in the US, and gold mining contributes to a significant part of Nevada’s economy. Several beneficiation and extraction techniques for gold are available, depending on the types of gold ore and its mineralogical characteristics. Gold can be beneficiated by heap leaching, flotation, roasting, autoclave, or a combination of these techniques. Regardless of how rigorous the environmental management standards are, due to hazardous chemicals consumption, gold extraction routes can have a severe impact on the environment and human health. In this study, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to evaluate the environmental performance of four main processes to produce one ounce of gold. Using the TRACI method, categories such as ozone depletion, global warming, smog, acidification, and fossil fuel depletion were evaluated for the processes used in gold extraction. |