Here you go CJR,

National Guard retained Gandola with 6 tons of charcoal
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
The transfer of this material requires a permit package granted by the Ministry of the Environment

Isidro Casanova


In one of the farms how are you, small mining, where mercury use, application of activated carbon, it is most profitable and secure. In a military operation is detected leaving the project Gandola Brisas del Cuyuni at kilometer 88, Sifontes municipality with 36 drums of activated carbon and not an escort or transport documents of this highly dangerous material, they proceeded to their retention, case was referred to the Environmental Office in Santa Elena de Uairen, whose head is Sabino Rosales.

Each drum was approximately 200 kilos of that pollutant. Gandola estimate that 06 tons of that was material. A reliable source said the material was detained along with his driver Gandola because Americo name, did not specify the origin of the commodity or carrying the relevant documents, responding to the authorities that the activated carbon for the company led him Minerven of El Callao .

The source said the transfer of this material requires a permit package granted by the Ministry of the Environment.

Security systems determine a vehicle which makes the transport must be properly conditioned to refer the use which will give the material and an escort.

According to preliminary expert testimony made to the retained material, it contains gold particles, which leads to the assumption that it was being used in the gold amalgamation process.

Activated charcoal

He said that activated charcoal is used in this area, preferentially in gold processing.

Instead of mercury, activated carbon separates the metal from the rest of the materials. The gold industry working with activated carbon, maximum performance in separating the gold from other materials.

According to Technical Advisory separating the gold from other unwanted materials, is being done with cyanide and mercury, but these two materials, other than that are highly polluting, are short lived, because left on the tails or waste, among the 4 and 60% of the gold processing.

Activated charcoal leaves less than 2% in the queues and by a proper application, reduced almost to zero, the polluting effects.

The problem is to use. Activated carbon alone does not produce harmful effects, but other materials are added, becomes latent danger, which is why its use is limited and controlled by the authorities.

In the case of Minerva, where according to the driver of the Gandola, was activated carbon, the company began to use this material, replacing the cyanide, when Carlos Rotondaro current health minister, was president.

The source also stated that now is investigating the reason, coal was at the Brisas project.

GN Research

The informant said the sergeant Jesus Alberto Malave Capriles, commander of the 3rd company of the National Guard, stationed at Kilometer 88, under instructions from Colonel Gonzalez-Gonzalez, 85, commander of the said Force, stationed in Tumeremo, made a monitoring the transport of the goods and when the trunk came Gandola 10, bound for Callao, was retained.