Ph.D. Candidate in Mineral Engineering at the University of São Paulo with an interdisciplinary background spanning chemistry, geosciences, civil engineering, mineral processing, and forensic science. My research focuses on sustainable extractive metallurgy, mercury-free gold recovery, artisanal and small-scale gold mining, environmental geochemistry, and mine-waste valorization. I combine experimental and field research with technical investigation, quantitative analysis, quality assurance, and multidisciplinary leadership.
Selected evidence of research output, international experience, and applied technical practice.
System-wide assessment of artisanal gold-processing circuits through process mapping, field sampling, metallurgical accounting, gold and silver recovery evaluation, mercury-loss assessment, and resource-efficiency analysis.
Development and evaluation of cleaner gold-recovery routes, including alternative leaching systems and bio-derived reagents from agro-industrial residues, with emphasis on replacing mercury-intensive practices in ASGM.
Reprocessing and conversion of ASGM tailings into useful materials and economic opportunities, including cement-tailings bricks and conceptual micro-enterprise models for sustainable residue management.
Silva, E. M., da Veiga, M. M., & De Tomi, G. (2026). System-wide evaluation of gold and silver recovery and mercury losses in an artisanal amalgamation–cyanidation circuit: A diagnostic approach to mercury-free processing. Minerals, 16(8), 784. DOI: 10.3390/min16080784
Druiventak, A., Vriesde, E., Silva, E. M., & Veiga, M. M. (2026). From byproduct to business: A conceptual micro-enterprise model for artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) tailings in Suriname. The Extractive Industries and Society, 27, 101931. DOI: 10.1016/j.exis.2026.101931
Silva, E. M., Barreto, M. C. S., Veiga, M. M., & De Tomi, G. (2025). From agro-industrial waste to gold lixiviant: Evaluating cassava wastewater applications in artisanal mining. Mining, 5, 64. DOI: 10.3390/mining5040064
Silva, E. M., Vriesde, E., Druiventak, A., Veiga, M. M., & De Tomi, G. (2025). Production of cement-tailings bricks with artisanal gold mining waste. Cleaner Waste Systems, 11, 100269. DOI: 10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100269
Veiga, M. M., Anene, N. C., & Silva, E. M. (2025). Four decades of efforts to reduce or eliminate mercury pollution in artisanal gold mining. Minerals, 15(4), 376. DOI: 10.3390/min15040376
Conduct international field and experimental research on sustainable ASGM in Brazil, Colombia, and Suriname. Design and perform process diagnostics, environmental and metallurgical sampling, data analysis, gold-recovery assessment, and mercury-loss evaluation. The current research portfolio has produced five peer-reviewed papers in 2025–2026, including three as first author.
Conducted research in environmental geochemistry under Prof. Marcello Mariz da Veiga as an Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program scholarship recipient. Investigated surface-water quality and selenium geochemistry in coal-mining environments.
Contributed to the project Role of Nitrate in the Remobilization and Attenuation of Selenium in Coal Mine Waste, involving Lorax, the Mine Environment Neutral Drainage program, Natural Resources Canada, and industry partners. Analyzed surface-water and geochemical datasets from coal-mining operations.
Metallurgical accounting, process mapping, Au–Ag recovery assessment, mercury-loss evaluation, and resource-efficiency analysis.
Leaching studies, alternative lixiviants, mercury-free processing pathways, and artisanal gold-processing assessment.
Field-campaign planning, environmental and process sampling, operational diagnostics, QA/QC, and multidisciplinary work in mining environments.
Trace-element monitoring, water-quality assessment, interpretation of geochemical datasets, and analytical quality control.
Statistical analysis, experimental data processing, scientific visualization, and reproducible workflows using R, Python, and Excel.
Structured technical investigation, evidence documentation, chain of custody, scientific and judicial reporting, project planning, quality assurance, and team coordination.
Research on mercury-free processing pathways for artisanal and small-scale mining, with emphasis on alternative leaching technologies, gold recovery, and sustainable mineral processing.
Final project investigated soil-cement bricks as a lower-impact material for sustainable construction.
Postgraduate specialization in criminalistics, forensic methodologies, and crime-scene investigation protocols.
Dissertation: Statistical Analysis of Surface-Water Quality Parameters as Indicators of Selenium Geochemistry in a Canadian Coal Mine. Research period at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, supported by an ELAP scholarship.
Undergraduate research focused on monitoring total mercury in fish from the Manso Hydroelectric Reservoir, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
Conduct official forensic examinations and crime-scene investigations supporting criminal-justice proceedings and public-safety decisions. Apply controlled procedures for evidence collection, documentation, analysis, and chain of custody; have delivered more than 690 technical forensic reports since 2018. Previously served as Regional Manager for the Juína and Primavera do Leste units.
Manage field execution, budgeting, procurement, resource allocation, and quality control for residential construction projects. Coordinate teams and suppliers, control costs and material use, and resolve technical issues under operational constraints.
Coordinated and taught postgraduate specialization coursework in Criminalistics and Forensic Sciences, emphasizing crime-scene processing and forensic investigative methodologies.
Taught Statistics, Materials Science, General Chemistry, and Analytical Chemistry; contributed to the institutional accreditation process for the Civil Engineering program.
Delivered classroom and laboratory modules in General and Analytical Chemistry for chemistry degree students.
Taught Applied Analytical Chemistry and General Chemistry for Civil, Sanitary, and Environmental Engineering programs; managed laboratory sessions and student training in chemical-analysis methods.