{"id":106420,"date":"2025-12-11T23:09:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T23:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=106420"},"modified":"2025-12-11T23:09:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T23:09:00","slug":"it-is-possible-to-mine-without-using-mercury-or-cyanide-dr-bisiw-kotei-proposes-alternatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=106420","title":{"rendered":"It is possible to mine without using mercury or cyanide \u2013 Dr Bisiw-Kotei proposes alternatives"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>2 Minute, 29 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>
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The Minerals Development Fund (MDF) has debunked the notion that gold mining requires the use of dangerous chemicals like mercury and cyanide. <\/p>\n

The MDF is actively piloting a locally developed, environmentally friendly extraction method to provide a sustainable alternative for small-scale miners.<\/p>\n

Dr. Hanna Louisa Bisiw-Kotei, Administrator of the MDF, confirmed the viability of chemical-free gold recovery during an interview with Blessed Sogah on JoyNews\u2019 Upfront<\/em> today, Thursday, December 11, 2025.<\/p>\n

Proof of Concept: Chemical-Free Mining Is \u2018Doable\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. Bisiw-Kotei revealed details of the MDF\u2019s partnership with Lion King Engineering and Mining Support Services, a 100% Ghanaian-owned and managed firm, to research and implement practical green mining technologies.<\/p>\n

This collaboration is designed to provide viable, safe alternatives to the toxic methods currently devastating Ghana\u2019s environment.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou can do without using mercury or cyanide, okay?\u2026 yes, it\u2019s doable,\u201dShe said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The cornerstone of this initiative is the use of non-chemical gold separation techniques, specifically the shaking table method.<\/p>\n

Dr. Bisiw-Kotei explained that this process eliminates the need for highly toxic substances, such as mercury, which is known to cause severe, irreversible neurological damage and birth defects in humans upon exposure, or cyanide, which contaminates water sources and accelerates environmental degradation.<\/p>\n

The technology is being deployed through the Modular Sustainable Mining Turnkey Initiative (MDF-MSMTI), which serves as a crucial \u201clearning centre\u2026 for capacity building\u201d\u2014a key mandate of the MDF Act, 2016 (Act 912).<\/p>\n

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\u201cSince people will still go back, you know, and mine, let them do it responsibly, okay? So yes, it\u2019s doable. They have the shaking table method and how they can mine, and as you mine, please cover your pit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addressing the Existential Threat<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Administrator stressed that the push for sustainable methods is critical because illegal mining has moved from remote forests to the very fabric of Ghanaian communities, posing an immediate threat to public safety.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe are not even talking about a forest, because we don\u2019t go into the forest, but we are within our communities, where you find mining happening in the backyard of schools, in front of health centres, and behind people\u2019s houses.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

She highlighted the human cost of unregulated, toxic mining, noting that she receives graphic evidence of fatalities:<\/p>\n

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\u201cAnd if I open my phone, you see dead bodies that people actually take care of. When people die and they bring them out, some snap, some video, and they send it to me, you know, so how do you tackle this?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

By promoting the shaking table and strict pit reclamation, the MDF aims to sanitise the small-scale sector, reduce the alarming rate of pit deaths, and drastically cut down the environmental pollution that poisons local water bodies.<\/p>\n

The new approach is set to empower local miners with technology that is not only safer but also often yields better gold recovery rates than dangerous traditional methods, offering a clear path to both profitability and regulatory compliance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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