First gold-copper plant to use water over chemicals

By Ben Serrano

CABADBARAN City- An integrated gold-copper processing plant that does not used chemicals but only water in extracting gold and copper from ores yet economical and yield 95% more than ordinary commercial processing plants that used chemicals will soon be built in mineral rich province of Agusan del Norte particularly in Barangay Del Pilar this city.

This developed after no less than Dost Secretary Mario Montejo himself together with Agusan del Norte second district Rep. Erlpe John Amante and Agusan del Norte Governor Maria Angelica Rossdell Amante spearheaded the groundbreaking ceremonies for the plant and the other in Barangay Del PIlar, once known as a gold rush area.

Dr. Herman Mendoza, UP-Dost Program leader of the said project in a speech at the groundbreaking rites explaining the plant works claimed the integrated gold-copper processing plant uses no chemicals like most other private plants do, using cyanide, carbon and other chemicals to separate from ores gold and copper.

Dost Secretary Mario Montejo for his part in a speech said that the present core direction of the Dost is to bring the advancement of the Science and Technology closer to the people especially to the marginalized sector the poor saying he hoped Dost, through current programs and projects can lessened the gap of poverty in the country especially in the countryside through science.
Montejo said President Aquino specifically instructed him to make Science and Technology felt by the Filipino masses a tool in poverty alleviation program of the government thus the creation of Science nationwide tour and road show dubbed “Randam Na Agham”.

“While you have this technology from Dost, let us not forget our responsibilities and let us all apply responsible mining. I look forward to a more productive and efficient miners in this area,” stressed Dost Sec. Mario Montejo as he deliver his message to the beneficiaries of the Integrated Gold-Copper Mineral Processing Pilot Plant in Barangay Del Pilar.

The groundbreaking rites formed part of the DOST’s nationwide road show dubbed “Science Nation Tour” otherwise also known as “Agham Na Ramdan” to allow Filipinos of varying social and economic brackets to see and experience how science affects their daily lives.

For his part, Second District Agusan del Norte Rep. Erlpe John Amante encouraged the small-scale miners who will benefit from the project, to take good care of the technology for a technology transfer so that it will be duplicated in other areas where small scale gold mining also thrived.

The Integrated Gold-Copper Mineral Processing Pilot Plant will be built in a 2,000 square meters prime, accessible lot donated by the Barangay Government of Del PIlar under leadership of present Barangay Captain Judith Cueno.

The Integrated Plant is the first here in Caraga Region and in Mindanao and the second in the country after Benguet Province.