Mercury production
Producing mercury is a fairly simple process: cinnabar
ore is brought to the surface, crushed and roasted in ro-
tary furnaces. Metallic mercury separates from sulphur
in this process and evaporates. Liquid mercury is col-
lected from the vapour in a condensing column, puri-
fied and can then be transported, usually in iron flasks.
But it may not always be quite as easy as it sounds.
At Khaidarkan, for example, the working conditions can
be arduous. Miners descend 400 metres underground in
one of the two working shafts to reach the ore deposit,
a journey which can involve a walk through knee-high,
fast-flowing water.
Mercury production in Kyrgyzstan
in tonnes
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1941 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2008
Year
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