Work

Water footprint assessment of mining and processing of gold in Turkey

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: This study aims to identify critical points by calculating the water footprint (WF) of a mine and assessing the environmental impact of this water usage. Utilising the Water Footprint Assessment (WFA) methodology for critical points and the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology for environmental impact, results reveal that, among the identified hotspots, the highest blue water footprint is associated with the lost return flow, measuring 260.61 m3/kg Au. Regarding the grey water footprint, arsenic exhibits the highest value, measuring 1.777 m3/kg Au. Among the five impact categories, climate change human health emerges as the most environmentally affected category.

Source: International Journal of Mining Reclamation and Environment

DOI: 10.1080/17480930.2024.2303179

Authors: Emre Guney, Nuray Demirel

Institution: Middle East Technical University

Language: English

Topic: Environmental Impact and Sustainability

Subfield: Environmental Engineering

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Clean water and sanitation, Responsible consumption and production, Climate action

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W4390875543

FWCI: 0.358

Cites: 19

Cited by: 3

Related to: 10