{"id":7866,"date":"2023-06-27T12:50:44","date_gmt":"2023-06-27T02:50:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/?p=7866"},"modified":"2024-12-24T10:57:30","modified_gmt":"2024-12-24T00:57:30","slug":"how-balsa-trees-could-eliminate-mercury-use-in-gold-mining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/how-balsa-trees-could-eliminate-mercury-use-in-gold-mining\/","title":{"rendered":"How Balsa Trees Could Eliminate Mercury Use in Gold Mining"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ainfo.cnptia.embrapa.br\/digital\/bitstream\/doc\/1153676\/1\/2023-cpamt-artigo-essh-genetic-diversity-phenotypic-characterization-ochroma-pyramidale-plantations-mato-grosso-brazil.pdf\">New research has shown that bio-extraction from the selective harvesting of leaves from balsa trees<\/a> native to the Amazon could replace toxic mercury metal in gold recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/portugal.postsen.com\/trends\/amp\/379125\">The study<\/a>, a collaboration between Embrapa Forests in Paran\u00e1 and other research institutions, is centred on the Ochroma pyramidale, a large, fast-growing \u2018soft\u2019 hardwood and the sole member of the genus Ochroma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The researchers will evaluate various bio-extraction formulations for their efficiency in recovering gold from alluvial ore.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The best bio-extractor will be adjusted to improve further extraction, followed by toxicity and cytotoxicity trials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0961953420303664\">The research supports a 2020 project <\/a>which determined that mercury emissions can be reduced using &#8220;woody biomass.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mercury is a toxic metal that can harm the nervous, digestive and immune systems, the lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Ochroma pyramidale tree is native from southern Mexico to southern Brazil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It can also be found in many other countries, including Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Thailand and the Solomon Islands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The tree contributes to the improved development of secondary forests and can be used in forest restorations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the case of adopting balsa leaves for gold recovery, the idea is that it will be associated with using the species to recover land affected by mining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The potential use of balsa trees in gold mining is not the only industry where trees have a significant role to play. The new research provides a secondary market for a product fuelling the drive to renewable energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The booming renewable energy sector, particularly wind power, has seen increased demand for balsa wood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Wind turbine technology is the major driver of balsa wood exports&nbsp;<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/The wind-power boom set off a scramble for balsa wood in Ecuador\">As reported by the Economist in 2021<\/a>, Balsa wood is a significant component of wind turbine blades, with turbine construction driving a skyrocketing export market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wind turbines are being embraced globally as a renewable energy source to meet climate commitments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/315455ae-021f-11ea-be59-e49b2a136b8d\">In 2019<\/a>, the Financial Times reported that a global slowdown in balsa wood led to a slowdown in wind-power projects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to General Electric, a major manufacturer of wind turbines, workers make the blades from fibreglass fabric and balsa wood.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"anzrmuxh9dQ\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The World&#039;s Biggest Wind Turbine\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/anzrmuxh9dQ?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>General Electric has invested more than USD 35 billion into its wind turbine programme &#8211; with balsa wood used in the turbine&#8217;s blade construction. Footage courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@adin\">@adin<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The blade is then covered with an airtight foil, and the team installs a network of tubes that pumps in and distributes the resin that will hold it together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the past decade, the Chinese government eliminated taxes for the alternative energy industry, prompting a boom in wind turbine production, so most of Ecuador\u2019s balsa exports go to China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ecuador supplies 95% of the world\u2019s commercial balsa wood.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p>The wood is so fast-growing that it can grow between 1.8 and 2.7 metres a year and reach 30.5 metres in 10-15 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The trees are short-lived, lasting only 30-40 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Inside the wood, the cells are large, thin-walled and full of water, so the tree stands upright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When cut and kiln-dried, the wood is lightweight and sturdy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In recent years, about 60% of balsa has been plantation-grown in densely packed patches of around<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>1000 trees a hectare,<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>compared to about two to three per hectare in the wild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The trees are harvested after a 6-to-10-year growth cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Demand for balsa wood has skyrocketed<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forest-trends.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Balsa-Report-FINAL-1.pdf\">According to a report commissioned by Forest Trends<\/a>, the estimated demand for balsa sawn wood (to July 2022) was between 400,000 and 465,000 cubic metres per year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to China, the European Union is a growing market for export owing to the emergence of wind power as a mechanism to meet climate targets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Denmark, Poland, Netherlands, Germany, and Italy are the leading European markets for the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to The Asociaci\u00f3n Ecuatoriana de Industriales de la Madera (AIMA), Ecuador exported 86 percent more wood in 2019 than in 2012.<br><br>However, there have been reported concerns about the production and trade of balsa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Forest Trends, Ecuador lacks commercial and environmental regulation mechanisms to prevent negative social, ecological, and economic impacts from the country\u2019s balsa boom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The high demand has been linked to illegal logging in indigenous communities\u2019 territories in the Ecuadorian Amazon region, with the issue reportedly crossing borders into Peru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To satisfy the skyrocketing global demand over the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2021, Ecuador supplemented its domestic production using balsa harvested in Peru and trucked across land borders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to SUNAT &#8211; the central tax authority for the Peru Government, in 2021, 100 percent of Peru\u2019s balsa destined for export went first to Ecuador, mixed with locally harvested wood and shipped globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Learn more about this and its potential implications in the full Forest Trends report, available<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forest-trends.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Balsa-Report-FINAL-1.pdf\"> here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New research has shown that bio-extraction from the selective harvesting of leaves from balsa trees native to the Amazon could replace toxic mercury metal in gold recovery. The study, a collaboration between Embrapa Forests in Paran\u00e1 and other research institutions, is centred on the Ochroma pyramidale, a large, fast-growing \u2018soft\u2019 hardwood and the sole member [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23092,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[51,45,44],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[69],"class_list":{"0":"post-7866","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-americas","8":"category-sustainability","9":"category-sustainable-forest-management"},"authors":[{"term_id":69,"user_id":1,"is_guest":0,"slug":"woodcentral","display_name":"Wood Central","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/MASTER-BRAND-MARK_POS_RGB-e1676449549955.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/MASTER-BRAND-MARK_POS_RGB-e1676449549955.jpg"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7866"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7866\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23093,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7866\/revisions\/23093"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7866"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=7866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}