Potential of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) for gold phytomining from mercury amalgamation tailings

• Published in: IOP conference series. Earth and environmental science Vol. 789; no. 1; pp. 12073 - 12081
• Main Authors: Noviardi, R, Karuniawan, A, Sofyan, E T, Suryatmana, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol IOP Publishing 01.06.2021
• Subjects: Amalgamation; Bioaccumulation; Experimental farms; Farms; Gold; Heavy metals; Ipomoea batatas; Mercury; Mine tailings; Potatoes; Sweet potatoes; Tailings; Translocation; Vegetables
• ISSN: 1755-1307; 1755-1315
• DOI: 10.1088/1755-1315/789/1/012073

Abstract Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) generally use mercury amalgamation method to recover gold from the ores. The method leaves waste or tailing that still contain gold and other metals. The aim of this study was to determine the potential use of ten sweet potato clones to recover gold from mercury amalgamation tailing. The pot experiment was carried out at the experimental farm of Faculty of Agriculture, Padjadjaran University from February to May 2019. The Mercury amalgamation tailing that used in this study collected from ASGM in Sukabumi Regency, Indonesia. All experimental plants were harvested after 11 weeks, below-ground and above-ground part biomass were separated, washed and weighed. The results showed that there were no significant differences of gold concentration in 10 clones of sweet potato. According to a bioaccumulation factor (BCF) value, seven sweet potato clones have value above 1 and considered as potential gold accumulators, which is MZ332, MZ154, MZ119, Kriting Maja, 14 (84), Rancing and 44(41); meanwhile based on translocation factor (TF) value, only one sweet potato clone that is MZ119 has value above 1 so that classified as phytoextraction potential.