The gap in applicable guidance for cyanide management for small-scale operators requires urgent attention, especially considering cyanide’s accessibility and effectiveness at gold extraction, and in light of the trend in uptake of cyanidation in the small-scale gold mining sector worldwide. The International Cyanide Management Code (ICMC), which was developed for industrial operators, has limitations on direct transferability to small-scale operations, which are typically undercapitalized and lack formal training and management policies and practices that are adequately structured and enforced.
The purpose of this document is to address this gap, by providing written guidance for ASGM stakeholders on managing the risks of cyanidation where national legal and regulatory frameworks permit its use, in the context of the ASGM sector’s transition from mercury use. However, this document should not be construed or interpreted as advocating for the adoption of cyanidation. Similarly, this document does not aim to sideline or overshadow potentially impactful new and promising mercury-free (non-toxic) mineral processing alternatives.
The guidance contains 4 sections: (i) Introduction and Context; (ii) Technical Overview of Cyanidation; (iii) Best Practices for Cyanide Management; and (iv) Conclusion, which summarizes and provides some generalized risk register tools which can be adapted and applied to help small-scale operators analyze and monitor risks and plan risk-mitigation efforts. In addition, two national case studies are provided from countries where cyanide has been in widespread use in the ASGM sector for several decades.
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