#Cyanide-free #gold extracted in #Australia for first time #CANBERRA, Aug. 28: Australia's #national #science agency has extracted gold using non-toxic chemicals for the first time in the nation's #history. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (#CSIRO) announced on Tuesday that it had successfully developed an alternative method to produce gold without cyanide or mercury. Gold #cyanidation is a process used in more than 90 percent of global gold production whereby low-grade ore is dissolved in cyanide so that gold within can be extracted. However, the use of cyanide in gold extraction has been banned in the #UnitedStates, South #America and #Europe due to #environmental and health concerns. The process developed by the CSIRO in collaboration with West Australian gold miner Eco Minerals Research replaces cyanide with thiosulphate, a non-toxic alternative. "Science is enabling industry and environment to be partners not competitors, exactly as envisioned in our market vision - turning commodities into higher value, uniquely Australian products," Larry Marshall, chief executive of the CSIRO, said in a media release on Tuesday. "(It) could be a game-changer for small gold producers or those looking to get ahead of increasing market demand for greener commodities." According to the CSIRO, building a processing plant based on the new technology would cost approximately 2.5 million Australian dollars (1.8 million U.S. dollars) compared to 30 million Australian dollars (22 million U.S. dollars) for a cyanide-based plant. Eco Minerals Research intends to use the new process to become Australia's first cyanide-free gold producer. "The first gold is a major milestone in our progress towards becoming one of the world's first green gold producers," Eco Minerals Research managing director Paul Hanna said. "In close collaboration with #CSIRO we've gone through the design, engineering and fabrication stages and set up a processing facility in (Western Australia), delivering the first gold pour in just 10 months, which is a fantastic achievement." https://www.instagram.com/p/BnDPfIcnib7/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=127233xk5adtz