Last Updated on December 30, 2021 by Tina
If you are subscribed to my blog, you probably noticed that I haven’t been keeping up with my regular posting schedule in the previous weeks. Aside from being busy at work preparing for community presentations, we were also busy with mine visits. In the last six weeks, we were able to visit three operating mines in the Philippines. Two of those are underground mines and the other is an open-pit mine.
Though it is not a tourist destination, I thought I’d share with you my mine visit experience just so you have an idea of the industry that I am working for. There are many misconceptions about the mining industry in the Philippines because the notion of people is largely influenced by what comes out in the media. Sadly, it is dominated by anti-mining sentiments. And the media has a way of exaggerating things and making mining look bad.
I have been working in the mining industry for more than 15 years. I may not be able to change your notion about mining with this post, because I’m not going to post technical stuff here, but I suggest that before you believe what the media says, try to do some research and check on the credentials and credibility of the person giving information about mining.
For this post, I’ll be sharing about our visit to FCF Minerals Corporation. FCF Minerals Corporation is a mining company that engages in the exploration, development, and commercial operation of mineral claims of gold and molybdenum mining projects. It is located in Barangay Runruno in the municipality of Quezon in Nueva Vizcaya.
Upon entry into the mine, we had to log in our names in their visitor record book. Then we left an ID and in exchange, we were given a visitor’s ID. Next, we were given a safety induction/orientation by their safety engineer. Mining companies take safety very seriously that’s why when you visit a mine for the first time, the first thing you go through is a safety induction. This is to keep you informed on how to stay safe during your stay in the vicinity of the mine.
After the induction, we were provided with personal protective equipment (PPEs). PPEs are worn to minimize exposure to hazards that may cause serious injuries and illnesses in the workplace. We were given a hard hat, a reflectorized uniform, steel toe boots, safety goggles, and rubberized gloves.
During our visit, we were given a tour of their open pit, the tailings dam, and the processing plant. At the pit, we were given an orientation about the geology of the area. We were able to view the mining area from a view deck and we were also able to go down the pit.
The mining method in FCF is surface cut and fill. What happens is that an initial pit is created and then it is back-filled as mining progresses. Continuous rehabilitation is integrated with the process. FCF also has a device near the pit (I forgot how it is called) that detects ground movement in the area and gives advance warning signals before any slope failure.
From the open pit, we went to their residual storage impoundment (RSI). It is called tailings pond in other mines. A tailings pond is an engineered dam and dyke facility used for the storage of tailings materials and used to enable water to separate from the tailings. Tailings are the materials left over after the process of separating the ore from the gangue (the valueless material in which the ore is found). Before the tailings are pumped to the RSI, these are treated to meet or exceed chemical compliant standards within the processing plant.
The following day, we were given a tour of the processing plant. It is where the mined rocks are brought and the gold extracted. We were given a walk-through of the whole process from when the mined rocks are brought to the processing plant up to when the gold is recovered to dore bullion. What’s interesting in their process is that they use BIOX in their circuit to recover the gold. Their ore is refractory (the gold is encapsulated in sulfide minerals such as pyrite) so it can not be leached by cyanide. The BIOX process destroys sulfide minerals and exposes the gold for cyanidation.
The whole experience was very educational. It was my first time visiting an open-pit gold mine. And I really enjoyed the tour at the processing plant. It’s so cool observing the whole process. Kind of like watching the show How It’s Done. And I hope that you enjoyed reading about this experience of mine. If there is something that is not clear, feel free to leave a question below or send me an email.
