Gold is rightfully considered the king among all metals. Its relative rarity, softness of forging, resistance to corrosion and the effects of large amounts of alkalis and acids place it an order of magnitude higher than other metals of the periodic table. Add to this the bright, warm, alluring sunny color that gold has in its pure form - and it immediately becomes clear who is truly worthy of “taking the metal throne.”
Unfortunately, for a long time in Russia, the extraction of this noble metal was the lot of large corporations, firms with large capacities, having all the equipment necessary for this, and also occupying vast territories for mining. However, in 2021, everything changed - an amendment appeared in the legislation allowing gold mining in Russia by individuals. Let's take a look at what exactly this is all about and whether there are any pitfalls.
On the eve of the gold rush
As already mentioned, a number of additions were made to the Russian “Law on Subsoil”, as a result of which ordinary citizens of the Russian Federation can obtain a license for gold mining. Why was this done? First of all, as official sources say, in fulfillment of the Constitution of the state, which clearly states that the wealth of the country belongs to its people. A certain social factor also played a role, namely, the standard of living of the country’s citizens in some of its regions. In particular – Chukotka.
Cut off from the ability to mine gold on their own, and in the absence of a sufficient number of jobs in the area, local residents clearly experienced financial difficulties. The new amendment will allow any local to start their own micro-business, increase personal income, and even replenish the state’s gold reserves for a decent remuneration.
Reasons for the continued work of private gold miners
Nevertheless, technical and legal restrictions could not and cannot stop private gold miners. Firstly, not all deposits are suitable for industrial development. Some of them are simply unprofitable - their cost due to relief, geographical and economic conditions is higher than the cost of the production obtained. Large enterprises will not deal with gold in this case. Gold mining in Russia by individuals in small shares is more relevant than large-scale mining. There are many deposits with a small concentration of precious metal; the state not only cannot control them, but sometimes it is not even able to register them. At the beginning of the 21st century, small deposits of gold are being discovered even in regions that have never panned for gold.
Secondly, gold laundering by unorganized miners in abandoned deposits undoubtedly has positive aspects: a “web” of road routes to mining sites, low demands on the professional level of workers, and the potential for using more primitive, inexpensive tools. There is an officially non-operating field in the Amur region. The search for gold went on there for more than a hundred years. However, a large volume of precious metal was raised from the ground, so free miners will find something to look for. Gold mining in Russia by private individuals in abandoned mines is currently increasing.
Algorithm for obtaining a license
To become the owner of the coveted gold mining license, you must complete the following points:
- select the plot of land you are interested in at an auction held on the Rosnedra website. The site may also be offered during the competition;
- fill out an auction (competition) participant form;
- provide the event organizers, upon their request, with all necessary documents;
- win the event;
- get the desired license.
Contents and cost of the license
If you are, after all, a private entrepreneur and have received such a necessary document, this means that you have the right to 20 years, during which you can mine precious metals and stones on an agreed plot of land. If you also have plans to engage in geological exploration there, then another 5 years will be added to the period of 20 years. Total - 25 years to experience the craft of a miner.
In the case of private gold mining, everything is a little less rosy - only 5 years are given. You will have 15 acres of work space, which will have to be processed almost manually, with a metal detector, since the use of heavy equipment, and simply attracting additional workers for individual entrepreneurs, is prohibited. Diving to a depth of more than 5 meters is also prohibited. There is also a regulation on the mass of gold mined - up to ten kilograms.
History of private gold mining during the USSR
A definite problem is the lack of significant experience in private gold mining. Gold mining in Russia by individuals has not been permitted since 1954. The Stalin era was freer. The state included additional payments for gold miners and gave them the right to develop the richest gold mines. To intensify labor, they distributed housing, vouchers to sanatoriums, etc. Before the Great Patriotic War, every resident of the country over 18 years of age who had not previously received a criminal punishment had the right to work as a miner. The number of gold miners operating separately or in non-governmental organizations reached 120 thousand.
The resulting gold was handed over to countless specialized points. Gold mining in Russia at mines by private individuals, their discovery has brought significant benefits. Then the deposits became state owned. The precious metal in Russia was mainly obtained in the east: in the Urals, in Siberia, where the Bolsheviks did not immediately find themselves after the revolution. Gold mining enterprises found themselves in the hands of one political force, then another. The losers, when leaving, destroyed equipment, disabled mines, and did not allow workers to function.
Document requirements
In addition to paying for the mining permit, the applicant will also need to present a copy of his passport, an application for registration in accordance with the established form and a receipt for payment of the state duty.
By the way, the result of your request for permission can sometimes come only a month after completing all the necessary actions. So, you'll have to wait a little.
Bypassing the license
But what to do if the golden sparkle in your eyes is already preventing you from sleeping at night, but for one reason or another it is not possible for you to obtain a license? There is another way. You need to find a company that mines gold. Agree with its representatives to assign you a “workplace” somewhere on the dumps of their company. It is possible in those places where there is enough gold for one person, but the development of this place on an industrial scale is no longer profitable.
Naturally, the company should have obvious benefits from cooperation with you. And what could be more obvious than the percentage of profit from any substance you extract? In general, this scheme is realistic and justifies itself. However, it is quite rare. This is because such “breadcrumbs” from the “tables” of large companies are collected, most often, by former employees or good friends of members of the same companies. That is, all the hot spots have already been sorted out. But luck is such a thing.
Non-industrial extraction methods
So, gold has been found, but most often gold nuggets have impurities, for example, silver or quartz. Or during mining you get too small particles of gold mixed with sand or concentrate. In order to extract gold without the use of industrial equipment, there are three main ways:
- amalgamation with mercury;
- cyanidation;
- chlorination.
The first method is used if the gold fractions do not exceed a millimeter in diameter. The technology is simple: the metal is dissolved in mercury and an amalgam is obtained. Then the rock is separated using a fine mesh. About half of the resulting solution contains gold; it is obtained by evaporating the solution. Now this method is not very often used due to the fact that the gold obtained is not very pure, and also because mercury fumes are very harmful to humans.
The second method involves leaching, concentration and purification of the metal. Leaching occurs due to the interaction of cyanide with oxygen, after which the concentrate is removed using activated carbon, filtered and calcined. In this case, it is possible to obtain a purer metal, but cyanide vapor is even more dangerous than mercury vapor. In essence, zoning is a hydrometallurgical process. At first, only potassium cyanide was used for this method, then they also switched to calcium cyanide. In addition, it was found that fine crushing gives better results compared to coarse crushing.
The third method involves the use of hydrochloric acid and chlorine, which dissolve the gold, after which it is fused into an ingot.
Extraction method
If we take into account all the amendments and conditions for the extraction of gold by individuals, there are not many ways to master it. Namely, an open mining method. Tens, hundreds, thousands of kilograms of rock with gold veins pass through the hands of miners. The ore is crushed and exposed to water - a process of leaching. However, such a process is not the most productive, and even requires a lot of time and effort. Therefore, it can be replaced by amalgamation or heap leaching.
Note to scammers
If you, as an individual, have not reached an agreement with any of the gold mining enterprises, have not issued a license (or have expired), but are still engaged in gold mining on the territory of the Russian Federation, you will not have the most pleasant conversation with law enforcement agencies. An administrative fine of 5,000 rubles along with confiscation of everything you mined plus your tools.
If you have mined precious metals worth more than a million rubles (especially large amounts), then, according to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, you can be imprisoned for three long years. If you were “with friends,” then 3 years turns into 7 years, coupled with a fine of one million to three million rubles.
To obtain the latest data regarding licenses, state duties and conditions for gold mining, you can go to the official website of the Department of Subsoil Use of the Central Federal District.
A prospector named Sulfobacillius
The new Polyus technology includes a number of patents related to the use of specially selected bacteria for the oxidation of primary ores of the Olimpiada deposit in reactors: “Method of processing primary gold ores”; "Method of extracting gold from refractory gold ores."
The initiator and developer of the BIONORD® technology was Alexander Bely, head of the laboratory of biotechnology of mineral raw materials research. According to the scientist, bacteria can extract even microscopic particles of the noble metal.
“In refractory sulphide ore, gold is not visible even under a microscope, although there may be 5-10 grams of gold per ton. But the gold there is invisible, since the particle sizes range from tens to thousandths of a micron. Micron gold is not extracted by conventional cyanidation when ore is crushed, even to 20-micron fineness. And they found an approach to such stubborn, difficult-to-process ores with the help of bacteria that help extract this gold,” said Alexander Bely.
Bacteria that were selected from the gold deposits themselves cope best with dissolution. Polyus scientists managed to discover new groups of microorganisms that play a key role in the technological process - for example, the bacteria Sulfobacillus olympiadicus and Sulfobacillus sibiricus .
In order for bacteria to quickly cope with their work, scientists develop them in a nutrient medium and increase their mass. The bacteria are then sent into a sulfuric acid solution in a ratio of 2-3 to 5 grams of bacteria per liter.
Prospects for innovation
If we consider that a share of 10% of all gold production comes from the so-called “black” market and “black” miners, then we can understand that the legalization of mining will return not only officially mined gold to the state treasury, but will also add income in the form of payment duties. Add to this the increase in the country's gold reserves, the increase in jobs, the increase in the solvency of the population, as well as its involvement in one of the most expensive industries in the world - and you get a pretty promising start.
