Gold Mining in Europe

Key figures

Key figures - Europe

How gold is mined

Cyanide in Gold Mining

Gold recovery from non-gold mines and scrap recycling

The European Gold Centre

International Cyanide Management Code


Cyanide in Gold Mining

Although discussions about gold recovery processes are often controversial, cyanide leaching is
today considered to be the best available technology for the extraction of gold from ores, and has
revolutionized gold mining in many areas of the world. Other chemicals have proven to leach gold
and silver but were not successfully applied yet in large-scale industrial processes on a worldwide
basis. Therefore this industry is still seeking for a more efficient leaching process which fits all of
today’s needs and requirements specifically also from an environmental perspective. As cyanide is
highly toxic it can have a detrimental impact on the environment and on living organisms in case of
exposure if not handled properly, it is therefore necessary to identify the risks related to its use and
to implement measures and procedures to manage low risk operations. In order to prevent future
incidents and improve the Environment and Health & Safety performance of all mines using cyanide
throughout the world, the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) has developed, together with a large range of stakeholders (gold mining industry, governments, non-governmental organi-sations, labour, cyanide producers and financial institutions) the International Cyanide Management Code for the manufacture, transport, and use of cyanide in the production of gold in the mining industry. All EU gold mines today apply cyanide destruction technology and are currently in the process of adopting the code. A copy of the code can be downloaded from www.cyanidecode.org