Establishing collaboration with Inst. of Geochemistry (CAS) Guiyang, China: analytical techniques, environmental geochemistry, ore characterization

中国的快速工业增长导致对铜和黄金等金属的需求大幅增加，预计增长会更快。中国西南的地质特征表明，含有这些元素的矿物的存在，因此预计在未来几年将开发许多新的矿山。含有铜和金的岩石和矿物也含有对环境和人类有害的物质。这些物质，如铅、镉、汞和砷，在采矿和加工含金属的岩石和矿物的过程中释放到环境中，例如在磨矿和冶炼过程中。这些物质通过大气或水道运输，到达距离其释放地点很远的地方。即使在煤矿关闭后，空气、土壤、水体和地下水资源的污染仍然存在。长期成功地开发地球资源，同时将有害影响保持在较低水平，这就是可持续发展，也是本项目的总目标。在减少矿山向环境中排放有害物质方面投入了很大的努力。我们提出了一种不同的方式。自然界中，铜和金等金属赋存于不同的矿物中，它们是在不同的条件下形成的。因此，每种矿石的物理和化学特性不同，包括有害物质的分布/在某些情况下可能是感兴趣的元素。该项目旨在确定和利用中国西南地区的地质特征，以确定对环境有害物质含量较低的潜在铜金矿的位置。为了确保环境和人口的健康，有必要监测和评估环境中有害物质的水平。监测方法需要与地理条件相适应，需要研究调整具有代表性的样本的获取方法并对其进行分析。需要设备齐全的实验室来分析样品，以确定有害物质的含量，这种物质可能在很低的浓度下出现。位于贵阳的中科院地球化学研究所一直在调查从其中提取铜和金等金属的岩石和矿物的组成，以及空气、水、土壤、植物、湖泊沉积物等环境物质样本中的成分，并拥有现代化的分析实验室和非常能干的工作人员。伦敦自然历史博物馆和帝国理工学院的团队在世界其他地区进行了类似的研究，在矿藏地质、监测和实验室分析技术方面拥有丰富的经验。团队成员之间的联系始于对中国和在帝国理工学院攻读博士学位的中国团队负责人的访问。将两个团队的知识和专长结合起来，将有助于解决这个问题，这个问题现在对东南亚人口很重要，但在世界范围内也具有普遍重要性。当地居民将从保护环境和他们的健康中受益。在东南亚工作的矿业公司，其中几家是英国公司，将从这项研究中受益，因为它们可以更好地选择采矿区，降低环境保护成本。英国的监测和分析设备制造商将因购买更多此类设备而受益。这两个团队将受益于在科学领域的合作和提高他们的技能和知识，随着世界各地人口的增加，这一领域变得越来越重要。有必要访问实验室和潜在的调查领域，以建立联合研究。

The rapid industrial growth in China results in a sharp increase in demand for metals such as copper and gold, which is expected to grow even faster. The geological features of SW China indicate the presence of minerals containing these elements and therefore it is expected that in the coming years many new mines will be developed. The rocks and minerals, which contain copper and gold contain also substances that are harmful to the environment and to man. These substances such as lead, cadmium mercury and arsenic are released to the environment during the mining and processing of the metal containing rocks and minerals for example during milling and smelting. The substances are transported through the atmosphere or water-courses and reach great distances from the sites of their release. The contamination of air, soil, water bodies and underground water resources persists even after the mines have closed. The successful exploitation of earth resources over a long time whilst maintaining the harmful effect to low levels is called sustainable development and is the general aim of this project.. A great effort has been invested in reducing the release of the harmful substances from mines into the environment. We propose a different way. Metals such as copper and gold occur in nature in various minerals, which are formed under different conditions. Hence the respective ores differ in their physical and chemical characteristics, including the distribution of the harmful substances / which in some cases may be the elements of interest. This project aims to determine and use the geological characteristics of SW China to identify the location of potential Cu and Au ores having a low content of substances harmful to the environment. In order to ensure the health of the environment and the human population it is necessary to monitor and assess the levels of harmful substances in the environment. The methods of monitoring need to be appropriate to the geographical conditions, and research is needed to adapt the methods of obtaining representative samples and analyse them. Well-equipped laboratories are needed to analyse samples to determine the content of the harmful substances, which may occur at very low concentrations. The Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Science in Guiyang has been investigating the composition of rocks and minerals from which metals such as copper and gold are extracted and also in samples of environmental materials such as air water soil plants lake sediments, and has modern analytical laboratories and very capable staff. The team of the Natural History Museum London and Imperial College have conducted similar studies in other parts of the world and have vast experience in the geology of ore deposits, monitoring and laboratory analytical techniques. Contact between members of the teams started through visits to China and the leader of the Chinese team studying at Imperial College for his PhD. Joining up the knowledge and expertise of the two teams would help addressing a problem that is important now to the population of SE Asia but is of general importance world wide. The local population would benefit by safeguarding the environment and their health. Mining companies working in SE Asia, several of them British, would benefit from the research by better selection of areas of mining and reduction of costs of environmental protection. The British manufacturers of monitoring and analytical equipment would benefit as more of this equipment would be purchased. The two teams would benefit from working together and improving their skills and knowledge in a field of science, which becomes more and more important with the increase in population throughout the world. A visit to the laboratories and the potential areas of investigation is necessary to set up the joint research.