Chapter 236 Step by Step

Anyone who has read popular science knows that the amount of gold on Earth is countless, and humans know that there are about 4.8 billion tons of gold. At first glance, the amount of gold seems to be very large and inexhaustible. In fact, about 99% of the world's gold is distributed in the core of the earth, and there are only 600,000 tons in the crust, and humans are able to mine even less.

According to statistics, nearly 200,000 tons of gold have been mined since the development of mankind. Compared with the gold reserves on the earth, this number is not large. But it already accounts for nearly 80% of the gold that can be mined by humans.

In other words, without the emergence of new large-scale mineral sources, gold mining will become exhausted.

People have been trying, but have yet to find a cheap, efficient way to profitably mine gold from the ocean.

And now, they have China!

When the crystal blue reactant leaves under the magnetic attraction of the electrolytic magnet and enters the next cycle, a thin layer of golden powder appears in the storage room, which is so dazzling. The pure metal test results show that it is definitely gold powder.

The seawater continues to flow to the next process. There are ten more such processing processes, all of which are aimed at extracting major elements from seawater and collecting resources that are useful to the country.

Although this extraction process does not produce much at a time, the production line can operate continuously, and the cost is much safer than traditional mineral mining. In addition, there is no pollution from various heavy metal mining, but it purifies the environment.

There are six grams of mercury for one gram of gold, and mercury has been used for centuries as a cheap and easy way to collect gold.

Especially in small-scale, illegal gold mining, miners first pump a sediment mixture from a riverbed into a trough and separate the gold using a technique known as hydromining.

Next, since the purity of the initially separated gold is not high, it needs to be purified and a large amount of relatively cheap mercury is added to combine with the gold particles to form an amalgam. Finally, a spray gun is used to heat the amalgam to turn the mercury into steam, leaving the gold.

Mercury contained in tailings or waste can contaminate nearby soil and aquatic ecosystems, and mercury vapor enters the atmosphere and can travel long distances before being deposited on land and water through rainfall or small dust particles.

This results in a large amount of mercury pollution. Although mercury is an element that occurs naturally in the Earth's crust, it is extremely toxic to humans and animals, even at very low exposure levels. Microorganisms in the environment can convert mercury into methylmercury.

Methylmercury is a potent neurotoxin that is harmful to humans and animals. When it reaches a certain concentration, it will damage the most important central nerves in the human body, causing irreparable consequences.

Now, China finally has new technology that can extract gold without pollution. China's gold reserves account for a relatively low proportion of the world's total, and are not rich, nor are they of high quality. The cost of mining is very high, and special equipment and special materials must be used, and the mining cycle is long.

However, China is the largest gold producer and consumer. China's use and pursuit of gold runs through ancient and modern times. Now, China's gold finally has a new supplement.

After passing through various processing workshops, the water that has undergone various extraction treatments is filtered through an ultrafiltration purification membrane, and the pure water flows into a transparent and sealed water storage tank. The clean and clear water without any fishy smell is immediately sampled, just like the storage rooms of the previous processes.

Soon, the results came out and the results of ten sets of random inspections were realized.

"They are indeed the cleanest water molecules, the purest fresh water, and can be called zero-pollution. All harmful substances are completely filtered out. Adding appropriate amounts of minerals makes it a high-quality water source that meets the standard of direct drinking water. It is many levels higher than the tap water we use now!"

The head of quality inspection reported the good news again and again. His voice was hoarse, but he still reported excitedly at the top of his voice. He was so excited.

As a child from the Northwest, he has a mysterious love and cherishment for water. As the person closest to the core team and also a young talent being trained by the higher-ups, the person in charge of quality inspection knows that the water will later be transported to the Northwest through the Northward Diversion Project.

With such epoch-making super-magical technology and abundant water resources like the sea, the long-dried land in the northwest will no longer be short of water. No longer will the family use the same basin of water to wash their faces, hands, and feet... People who cherish it dare not use it.

"Calm down, calm down, calm down, be careful with your energy! Don't worry, the days ahead will be even better. We Chinese researchers have been working hard and striving to advance technology at the forefront!" Academician Han gently patted the shoulder of the person in charge who, compared to him, could only be described as a young man. He could understand the boy's excitement.

Among those of the older generation present here, everyone has settled down and worked hard in the Northwest. Everyone knows the hardships and water shortages in the Northwest.

"Everything will be fine in the future, everything will be fine!" Cheng Lao and his group also nodded with anticipation. "The purified water we filter now will be incorporated into part of the local water network and gradually replaced. The planning of the Northward Diversion Project for the aging water plant has been put on the agenda. A new type of water pipeline has been developed, which is earthquake-resistant, corrosion-resistant and oxidation-resistant. We will try our best to ensure that the main pipeline will not need to be replaced for 30 to 50 years, or even 100 years!"

Each technological advancement has brought them pride and confidence in their grammar, and they have also dared to speak out those goals that they once dared not think about or say. Science and technology have brought progress, and the nation's self-confidence and self-reliance are based on the increasingly powerful national strength, and the nation's self-esteem, self-reliance and self-confidence are increasing!

“We also need to build more desalination plant production lines in coastal areas so that they can be connected to the national water network. This will allow people across the country to drink safe water and no longer be troubled by drinking water pollution and water resource depletion!” The bigwigs in charge set the future development direction one by one. Everything is for the country and for a better life for the people.

They are the luckiest people, to be able to witness the birth of such a miracle when they are approaching old age. While they are still able to work, they can still do practical things for the country and burn their own strength.

"We old guys need to work harder and quickly arrange the remaining items. Don't always bother the higher-ups and worry about these small things!" At this time, the higher-ups they mentioned were referring to Wu Tong, the general director of this project. Only they could understand this.

Wu Tong's existence has now become the biggest top secret, leaving no room for any ill-intentioned forces to take advantage of it. Wu Tong's safety is of vital importance and has become an important factor that can affect the level of national progress, and cannot be ignored!