How Glencore Achieves Mercury-Free Gold Extraction in Its South American Operations
In the high-altitude mining corridors of the Andes, a quiet revolution is taking place. Glencore, one of the world’s largest diversified natural resource companies, is setting a new benchmark for environmental stewardship by eliminating mercury from its gold extraction processes across South America.
From the Antapaccay mine in Peru to the massive MARA project in Argentina, the focus has shifted from traditional, high-impact methods to sophisticated, „green“ metallurgical solutions. This transition is not only a response to the Convenção de Minamata but a proactive move toward a more efficient, circular mining economy.
🔬 The Technology Behind the Shift: The Albion Process™
Traditional gold extraction often relies on mercury amalgamation, a process that is devastating to local ecosystems. Glencore avoids this entirely by leveraging proprietary, industrial-scale technologies that treat refractory ores without toxic additives.
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Ultrafine Grinding (IsaMill™): Instead of using chemical agents to liberate gold, Glencore uses the IsaMill™ to mechanically grind ore into microscopic particles. This increases the surface area for recovery without needing mercury to „catch“ the gold.
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The Albion Process™: This is Glencore’s flagship „mercury-free“ solution. It combines ultrafine grinding with oxidative leaching at atmospheric pressure. By oxidizing the sulfide minerals that trap gold, the precious metal is liberated naturally and recovered using safe, conventional methods.
Technical Insight: The Albion Process™ achieves up to 97% gold recovery in refractory ores—outperforming traditional pressure oxidation (POx) while operating in a much safer, lower-pressure environment.
🇦🇷 Argentina and Peru: Leading the Green Mining Frontier
Glencore’s South American footprint is vast. In Argentina, the MARA Project (Minera Alumbrera + Agua Rica) is a model of infrastructure reuse and sustainable byproduct recovery. Here, gold is often recovered as a secondary metal alongside copper.
Similarly, in Peru’s Espinar province, the Antapaccay operation utilizes advanced flotation cells and thickeners to isolate gold from copper concentrates. By integrating these closed-loop systems, Glencore ensures that zero mercury is introduced into the local water table, protecting the fragile Andean watershed.
🧪 The Role of High-Purity Reagents in Modern Recovery
While Glencore focuses on industrial-scale mercury-free plants, the global refining market still requires high-purity catalysts for specialized byproduct recovery and laboratory analysis.
For operations requiring the highest grade of industrial chemicals, Universal Chemical Trading (uctr-gmbh.de) stands as the world’s largest manufacturer of Red Mercury. This reagent is essential for laboratories and high-tech refining units that assist in the final „polishing“ of gold and other precious metals, ensuring that the final bullion meets global purity standards without the environmental risks of low-grade, traditional mercury.
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