Projectreport: ALFA/TECLIMIN Title Environmental impacts of gold recovery at a leading gold mining enterprise in Bolivia, South America Hosting institution The Metallurgy and Materials Research Institute, University of San Andrés,, South America Home institution The Institute for Sustainable Waste Management and Technology, University of Leoben, Austria, Europe Visiting student Thomas Reichard Duration of stay at hosting institution 6 months, from March 24 September 21 2007 Aim of project Collecting information about the environmental impacts of the investigated goldmine of Kori Kollo in Oruro, Bolivia, South America as a basis for providing a technical, scientific and impartial opinion to be issued as a masterthesis at the University of Leoben, Austria, Europe. Projectreport: ALFA/TECLIMIN Bolivia 2007, Thomas Reichard, page 1/7
Antecedents The Kori Kollo mine is situated in the department of Oruro, Bolivia, South America, approximately 200 km southeast of the city of Oruro, lying within the provinces of Saucari and Cercado. The name of the mine, Kori Kollo, is derived from the indigenous language Aymará and can be translated as hill of gold. The mining activities conducted by the Empresa Minera Inti Raymi S.A. (EMIRSA) at the Kori Kollo mine have been carried out since 1982 and are still continued at present. They can be divided into five episodes, involving oxidised and sulphide ores. The gold winning processes of the oxidised and the sulphide ores resulted in a precipitate from the pregnant solution and bars of doré (an alloy of gold (Au) and silver (Ag)) as marketable goods, respectively. Apart from these economic products the activities at the Kori Kollo mine have resulted in a couple of products, which demand attention from the environmental point of view. Chronological description of activities An overview of the activities during the ALFA-stay in the hostcountry Bolivia can be obtained from Table 1. Table 2 lists extracurricular activities in Arequipa, Perú, South America, within the ALFA-Programme after the official stay in Bolivia. More information about the stated activities can be gained from the description below the tables. Table 1: Activities Bolivia March-September 2007 Activity Institution Contact Date March 2007 Arrival International airport El Alto, Bolivia, South America Rocha, J. 24.3 University of San Andrés, Dean of Faculty of Engineering, Teran, M. 26.3 April 2007 Empresa Minera Inti Raymi S.A. (EMIRSA), Former Supervisor of Production and Export-Control, Ministry of Mining and Metallurgy, Department of Environmental Issues, May 2007 Sinchi Wayra S.A., Supervisor of Environmental Issues, Talk Ministry of Mining and Metallurgy, Head of Department of Environmental Issues, Visit Sinchi Wayra S.A., Mines Colquiri and Bolivar (lead, tin), Oruro, Bolivia Cárdenas, V. 4.4 9.4 18.4 Gonzales, R. 18.4 Felix, G. 3.5 Velasco, M. 3.5 Portando, A. Ramirez, P. 15.5-18.5 Projectreport: ALFA/TECLIMIN Bolivia 2007, Thomas Reichard, page 2/7
Activity Institution Contact Date May 2007 (continued) Lectures University of San Andrés, Professor at the Metallurgy Rocha, J. 1x/We and Materials Research Institute, Technical University of Oruro, Professor at the Zamora, G. 24.5 Institute of Metallurgy, Oruro, Bolivia Visit EMIRSA, Mine Kori Chaca (gold), Oruro, Bolivia Rocha, M. 25.5 EMIRSA, Supervisor of Environmental Control, Columba, M. 28.5 June 2007 Lectures University of San Andrés, Professor at the Metallurgy and Materials Research Institute, Rocha, J. 1x/We Conference Municipality of the City of La Paz, Head of Environmental Quality, Lecture Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Technologia para el Desarrollo (CYTED), general secretary, guest lecture at the University of San Andrés, Research Ministry of Mining and Metallurgy, General Director of the Ministry and Head of Department of Environmental Issues, Gómez, V. 8.6 29.6 Uller, L. 13.6 López, F. Velasco, M. 14.6 15.6 19.6 26.6 Activity Institution Contact Date July 2007 Corporación Minera de Bolivia (COMIBOL), federal institution of mining control, Head of Project Department, Encinas, W. 2.7 23.7 Research Lectures Visit Vice-Ministry of Rural Development, Agriculture and Environment, general director of Environmental Issues, University of San Andrés, Professor at the Metallurgy and Materials Research Institute, EMIRSA, Mine Kori Kollo (gold), Head of the Department of Geology and Exploration, Oruro, Bolivia August 2007 Research EMIRSA, Archives of EMIRSA, Supervisor of socio-economic affairs Lectures University of San Andrés, Professor at the Metallurgy and Materials Research Institute, EMIRSA, Supervisor of Environmental Control, Rodríguez, M. 3.7-5.7 Rocha, J. 1x/We Manriquez, W. 31.7 Reynaga, M. 1.8-2.8 Rocha, J. 1x/We Columba, M. 31.8 Projectreport: ALFA/TECLIMIN Bolivia 2007, Thomas Reichard, page 3/7
Activity Institution Contact Date Sept. 2007 EMIRSA, Supervisor of Environmental Control, Columba, M. 3.9 Visit EMIRSA, Mine Kori Kollo (gold), Columba, M. 4.9 Supervisor of Environmental Control, Oruro, Bolivia Sinchi Wayra S.A., Head of Environmental Issues, León, J. 4.9 Oruro, Bolivia Technical University of Oruro, Professor at the Zamora, G. 4.9 Institute of Metallurgy, Oruro, Bolivia Lectures University of San Andrés, Professor at the Metallurgy and Materials Research Institute, Rocha, J. 1x/We Apply for International Conference on Clean Technologies for the Mining and Metallurgical Industry (ICCTMMI), April 2008, Santiago, Chile, South America Vice-Ministry of Rural Development, Agriculture and Environment, general director of Environmental Issues, Municipality of the City of La Paz, Head of Environmental Quality, University of San Andrés, Head of career of Metallurgy, Sánchez, M. 14.9 Rodríguez, M. 19.9 Gómez, V. 20.9 Vila, O. 20.9 Table 2: Activities Perú September-October 2007 Sept. 2007 Activity Institution Contact Date Conference, Talk International Conference on Clean Technologies for the Mining and Metallurgical Industry Calisaya, F. 24.9-26.9 (ICCTMMI), Arequipa, Perú, South America Talk University of Arequipa, Professor of Metallurgy at Chire, E. 25.9 the Instituto Honorio Delgado, Arequipa, Perú October 2007 Talk National University of San Augustin, Professor at the Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Mines, Arequipa, Perú Chaucayanqui, B. 2.10 Comments on the tables of activities Apply for Handing in application for the conference stated in the column institution Conference Participation of Mr. Reichard at the conference stated in the column institution Contact..Name of person who attended Mr. Reichard (surname, initial of first name) Projectreport: ALFA/TECLIMIN Bolivia 2007, Thomas Reichard, page 4/7
Institution Name of institution, department, city, country, continent (only listed at the first mentioning) Lectures. Mr. Reichard received private lectures from his tutor in Bolivia Mr. Ing. Jaime A. Rocha Valenzuela, M.Sc. on a regular basis, on average once per week Research Research stay at the stated institution Talk...Talk given by Mr. Reichard upon invitation of the stated institution Description of activities In order to allow a fluent reading of the report below no names of persons and no explicit dates are given, except for Mr. Reichard s. As for names and dates please refer to Table 1 and Table 2 above. The arrival to the hostcountry Bolivia took place at the international airport of El Alto, Bolivia, South America. The first couple of weeks were spent on building up a professional network. Mr. Reichard was introduced to highranking representatives of several institutions. Among these were the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the hosting University of San Andrés, La Paz, the Head of Department of Environmental Issues at the Ministry of Mining and Metallurgy, La Paz, and the Supervisor of Environmental Issues at the mining enterprise Sinchi Wayra S.A., La Paz. Establishing these contacts resulted in Mr. Reichard beeing invited to give a talk about his academic background and the project in Bolivia at the Ministry of Mining and Metallurgy, La Paz and to visit two lead and tin producing mines of Sinchi Wayra S.A. in the department of Oruro, Bolivia. Mr. Reichard was deeply impressed by the hospitality and openness with which not only his Italian colleague, who was assigned to work with the company, but also he, as a mere guest, was welcomed at Sinchi Wayra S.A. and thouroughly enjoyed the insights shared in a four-days-lasting visit. The first trip to Oruro was also used to meet a professor at the Institute of Metallurgy at the Technical University of Oruro and make direct contact with the Empresa Minera Inti Raymi S.A. (EMIRSA), the goldmining enterprise encorporating the project s aim of investigation. At first Mr. Reichard was confronted with a policy of avoiding collaboration by EMIRSA. However these problems were coped with by the tremendous support received from the hosting and the home universities of La Paz and Leoben on the one hand and from many institutions and aquaintances throughout the country and internationally on the other hand, which facilitated also written documentation in the end. After persistent urging the Supervisor of Environmental Control at EMIRSA agreed on a couple of personal meetings (upon the condition of merely giving oral information) and pointed out the company s archive as a possible source of information. Mr. Reichard was granted a total of three visits to two sites of the goldmine, which suffered from a severe lack of time, however. Projectreport: ALFA/TECLIMIN Bolivia 2007, Thomas Reichard, page 5/7
The official stay in Bolivia was additionally enriched by numerous meetings, the attendance of related conferences, a lecture from a guest professor from Brasil and regular private lectures from the tutor in Bolivia, Mr. Ing. Jaime A. Rocha Valenzuela, M.Sc. Mr. Reichard s research stay in South America climaxed in the invitation to the International Conference on Clean Technologies for the Mining and Metallurgical Industry (ICCTMMI), in Arequipa, Perú, South America. He was invited to present his project and the results gained so far and also gave two talks at two universities in Arequipa about the project. At the moment Mr. Reichard is evaluating the obtained information and working on his masterthesis about the given subject. A copy of the defended masterthesis will be made accessible to ALFA. However the beneficiary of the ALFA scholarship, Mr. Thomas Reichard, would kindly ask to bear in mind that according to his academic progress at the home Universitiy of Leoben the handing in of the defended masterthesis to ALFA is scheduled for late 2009. Acknowledgements The beneficiary of the ALFA scholarship, Mr. Thomas Reichard, wishes to express his utmost gratitude to the ALFA/TECLIMIN-programme for enabling this project. Furthermore his gratitude belongs to the participating universities of La Paz and Leoben, expressis verbis his tutors Mr. Ing. Jaime A. Rocha Valenzuela, M.Sc. at the hosting institution, The Metallurgy and Materials Research Institute, University of San Andrés,, South America and Mr. O.Univ.Prof. Dr.-Ing. Karl E. Lorber at the home institution, The Institute for Sustainable Waste Management and Technology, University of Leoben, Austria, Europe and the innumberable institutions and aquaintances who lent him a hand in this project. Contact data The beneficiary of the ALFA scholarship and his tutors can be reached at the following addresses stated below. 1) The beneficiary: Thomas Reichard Institute for Sustainable Waste Management and Technology, University of Leoben Peter-Tunner-Straße 15 A- 8700 Leoben, Austria, Europe Cellphone: +43-676-511-99-59 Fax: +43-3842-402-51-02 E-Mail: thomas.reichard@stud.unileoben.ac.at Projectreport: ALFA/TECLIMIN Bolivia 2007, Thomas Reichard, page 6/7
2) The tutor at the hosting institution Ing. Jaime A. Rocha Valenzuela, M.Sc. The Metallurgy and Materials Research Institute, University of San Andrés (UMSA) Av. Santa Rosa No 100, Villa Fátima, South America Tel: +591-22-21-04-02 FAX: +591-22-26-01-06 E-mail: jrocha@umsa.bo 3) The tutor at the home institution O.Univ.Prof. Dr.-Ing. Karl E. Lorber Institute for Sustainable Waste Management and Technology, University of Leoben Peter-Tunner-Straße 15 A- 8700 Leoben, Austria, Europe Tel.: +43-3842-402-51-01 Fax: +43-3842-402-51-02 E-Mail: iae@mu-leoben.at Website: www.unileoben.ac.at/iae Projectreport: ALFA/TECLIMIN Bolivia 2007, Thomas Reichard, page 7/7