Fusing manufacturing and development: Artisanal Gold Council and Oro Sinú drive mercury-free technology for mining in Zambia.

Professionalizing Artisanal and Small-Scale GoldMining (ASGM) requires tangible technical solutions that address theoperational and environmental challenges faced by communities. To address thischallenge, the Artisanal Gold Council team conducted a technology sourcingmission in Medellín, Colombia, visiting the facilities of equipmentmanufacturer Oro Sinú.

Shared vision and miner professionalization

During the facility tour, Julio Porras, a geologistwith approximately 25 years of experience in artisanal mining and an ArtisanalGold Council member since 2017, emphasized the importance of unitingmanufacturing capacity with social development projects:

"My name is Julio Porras. I belong to theArtisanal Gold Council since 2017. I am a geologist by training withapproximately 25 years of experience in mining issues with the presence ofartisanal mining. Today we are at the Oro Sinú facilities accompanying a quiteinteresting process where the fusion between manufacturing and the developmentprojects carried out by the Artisanal Gold Council is achieved. Keep in mindthat the Artisanal Gold Council has a vision very focused on the professionalizationof the artisanal miner and the search for new technologies, the bestenvironmental practices, and all the alliance we are doing with Oro Sinú is preciselyfocused on that goal, on the professionalization of artisanal mining."

Appliedtechnology for Zambia and beyond

Thecollaboration has finalized technical aspects for procuring, testing, andinstalling a helicoidal cone utilizing gravity concentration to recoveralluvial gold efficiently without mercury. Regarding this operationalobjective, Julio Porras noted:

"Inthe development of a cone in order to make mining practices much easier forthese artisanal communities precisely in Zambia, it is our focus right now, andwhich will be extended to other mining communities in Africa and othercountries."

Towardpilot plants and shared processing centers

Onceoperational, these technologies will be incorporated into pilot plants andshared processing centers in Zambia, serving as demonstration and traininghubs. Through this alliance, the Artisanal Gold Council reaffirms itscommitment to promoting safe, clean, and responsible practices while expandingaccess to sustainable solutions across the global mining sector.

‍