In 1851, the Californian prospector Edward Hardgraves discovered “a grain of gold” in New South Wales, causing the complete transformation of Australia within years. As the population boomed (from 0.4 to 1.7 M in only 20 years), the semi-independent convict colonies were converted into a modern and prosperous federation. More than 150 years after this gold rush, Australia remains the second largest gold producer in the world, with an output of 298 tonnes in 2016.
You might be wondering what this has to do with cyanide…
Well, cyanide and gold have had a sweet romance for more than 125 years. Nowadays, the so-called “gold cyanidation” process remains the most efficient technique to extract gold from ores, using more than 6% of the annual cyanide production worldwide. Cyanide is both a biodegradable and a very toxic molecule. Yet, if handled and destroyed properly, cyanidation can actually be considered a green approach towards gold extraction. At CyanoGuard, we strive at making its toxicity visible, so that we can sustain our current lifestyle full of electronic devices that require large quantities of gold (and indirectly cyanide), while protecting the environment.
So with these facts in mind, it is clear that Australia is the natural place for CyanoGuard to be. Our team is currently visiting our friends overseas, trying to learn as much as possible about cyanide management from a mining and an environmental perspective. This time we did not come by boat, as the immigrants were doing during the gold rush times, but spotting these cyanide pools from our flight is also quite an epic affair.
Stay tuned!
