A huge amount of hidden gold, worth $24 billion, has been found in Johannesburg. This discovery was made by researcher Steve Chingwaru during his PhD studies.
The Source of the Gold
The gold is hidden in old mine dumps, also called tailings, from Johannesburg's famous gold deposits, dating back to 1886. Despite many years of mining, only about 30% of the gold was being extracted using current methods.
source: istock
The Missing Gold
Chingwaru wanted to find out what happened to the remaining 70% of the gold. He discovered that most of this gold is hidden in a mineral called pyrite, also known as 'fool's gold'. Current extraction methods using cyanide cannot detect this gold.
Known Extraction Methods
Chingwaru compared this situation to the Carlin mine in Nevada, where gold extraction from pyrite is already practiced. However, this method has not been used yet in South Africa.
Challenges Ahead
Associate Professor Megan Becker from the University of Cape Town mentioned that while the discovery is significant, the main challenge is whether it is possible to extract all this gold economically and make a profit.
source: istock
Industry Interest
Despite the challenges, South African mining companies are interested in Chingwaru's findings. Senior gold industry figures believe that it could be profitable to extract this gold if gold prices remain stable.
Environmental Benefits
Reprocessing the Witwatersrand tailings could also help reduce the environmental and health problems caused by the orange dust in Johannesburg's air. This would benefit the city's residents.
