Barrick Pueblo Viejo donates high-tech equipment to INTEC
SANTO DOMINGO. - The mining company Barrick Pueblo Viejo donated al Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC) a Atomic Emission Spectrophotometer ICP-OES, a high-tech equipment for determine la amount de metals en liquids, which has been installed in the Nanotechnology Laboratory of the academy, and that will be used by the students of the Basic and Environmental Sciences Area.
The award ceremony was led by the dean of INTEC's Basic and Environmental Sciences Area, Luis Rodríguez de Francisco, and by the Superintendent of Relationships and Community Development of Barrick Pueblo Viejo, Wellinton Otáñez.
Speaking a few words on behalf of INTEC, Rodríguez de Francisco thanked the donation of the equipment that he said will be very useful for undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students of basic sciences as it will allow them to perform analytical tests of great relevance for their professional practice .
In this sense, Otáñez stated that Barrick Pueblo Viejo is very satisfied to contribute to the training of future professionals, by expanding the capabilities of INTEC and its Nanotechnology Laboratory. He stated that the company is committed to improving the country.
As part of the delivery, Barrick Pueblo Viejo trained three INTEC researchers in the proper use of the equipment, while offering support for its installation and a set of spare parts to support its functionality for at least three months.
Among others, the ICP-OES equipment will allow analysis of mineralogical samples and tests of the amount of metals in certain aqueous solutions, both in pieces per million and in pieces per billion (ppm and ppb).
About Pueblo Viejo
Pueblo Viejo is located in the Dominican Republic, approximately 100 kilometers northwest of the capital city of Santo Domingo, and is operated by the Pueblo Viejo Dominicana Corporation, a joint venture between Barrick (60%) and Newmont (40%). The development of the Pueblo Viejo project began in 2009, with the first production in 2012. The company's workforce is 97% Dominican. At the beginning of this year, the conversion to natural gas of Quisqueya 1, the power plant that supplies the mine, was successfully commissioned. This will reduce greenhouse gases by 30% and nitrogen oxide by 85%, further reducing Pueblo Viejo's impact on the environment. An agro-industrial project is also planned as an additional benefit for local communities.