GineersNow Engineering Magazine November 2016 Issue No 009

Photo by Wikipedia
THIS IS MINING IN
HELL ON EARTH
by Robert Bagatsing
Can you imagine yourself carrying
90 kgs of sulfur three to four
kilometers away from the mining
area everyday?
Nope, I don’t think so.
In Java, Indonesia, miners put
their lives in danger in order to
collect sulfur at the Kawah Ijen
Volcano. These miners place long
pipes to allow the liquid sulfur
to drip out of the volcano and
solidify once it comes in contact
with the air. There is smoke almost
everywhere in this place. Using
crowbars and metal poles, they
break off huge chunks of solidified
sulfur and place them in baskets
using only their hands. They carry
these baskets down to the base of
the volcano twice (or thrice a day)
to earn $8-15 each day.
The sulfur collected is commonly
used for different manufacturing
companies such as production of
batteries, sugar, cosmetics and
insecticides.
The working environment in this
mining site is so dangerous that
the average life expectancy of a
miner only reaches up to 50 years
old. Lack of personal protective
equipments may contribute to
the poor health of these miners.
It has been reported that around
70 miners have died in the past
four decades due to work-related
accidents.
If you reach the age of 70 working
here, consider yourself lucky.
How about this: Can you imagine
yourself taking a dip in the largest
(very) acidic lake on Earth? Of
course not! Nobody in his right
mind would swim in a pond with
a pH of 0.5.
Inside the volcano, a sulfuric acid
lake can be found in the middle of
the crater. This lake is said to be
highly acidic that the pH obtained
is around 0.13 – 0.5. What makes
it more interesting is the turquoise
color of the lake, which makes the
place look very picturesque.
If you want to know how
dangerous this lake can be,
imagine a tin can soaked in the
lake. It can be easily dissolved in
less than thirty minutes. Now,
imagine yourself swimming in the
lake for thirty minutes. Nope, just
don’t.
Despite its hazardous
environment, the Kawah Ijen
Volcano attracts a lot of tourists
daily.
You must be thinking, why would
anybody want to go to ‘hell’?
This volcano, despite its terrible
working conditions, produces a
bright blue glow (only obvious
when seen during night time)
due to the reaction of the sulfuric
gases emerging at high pressure
and the air at a temperature of
360oC. At night, this sight would
leave anyone at awe.
So, if you still want to visit this
place, go ahead. Be very careful
thoughl. Avoid taking selfies.
48
NOVEMBER 2016
Mining Engineering and Its Importance