Operational alliances in equipment design: how technical collaboration between the Artisanal Gold Council and Oro Sinú supports artisanal miners in Zambia.

Advancing clean gold processing in Artisanal andSmall-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) requires more than identifying technology; itdemands close collaboration with the engineers and technicians who design andbuild the machinery.

Recently, the Artisanal Gold Council Zambiateam undertook a technology sourcing mission to Medellín, Colombia. Theobjective was to evaluate, adapt, and procure mercury-free gold processingequipment developed by Oro Sinú, an equipment manufacturer specializingin gold mining technology.

Inside the workshop: Applied engineering for smallholderneeds

During the technical engagement, discussions centeredon the procurement, testing, and eventual installation of a helicoidal cone.This unit utilizes gravity concentration to separate alluvial gold fromsediment without relying on mercury, offering a safer and environmentallyfriendly alternative for mining communities.

Representingthe manufacturing and design team at Oro Sinú, Eng. Faber Cardona,Mechanical Engineer, shared details about their operational role in thisinternational effort:

" Iam a mechanical engineer and I have been working at Oro Sinú for five years. Iam the plant manager and the head of design at Oro Sinú. With the ArtisanalGold Council and Oro Sinú, we have a strategic collaborative alliance so thatartisanal mining can improve in efficiency, in equipment. So, with theArtisanal Gold Council, we work in that way. We are their operators in Medellínand in Colombia."

Thishands-on collaboration allows equipment features to be refined directly on theworkshop floor before deployment, ensuring that mechanical designs responddirectly to operational realities in the field.

Shared processingplants and knowledge exchange

Onceshipped and installed in Zambia, the helicoidal cones will be integrated into Mercury-FreeProcessing System (MFPS) pilot plants. These facilities will function asdemonstration and shared processing centers where local miners can process goldmore efficiently, safely, and cleanly.

Inaddition to procuring machinery, the mission engaged local equipmentfabricators and academic institutions in Zambia. By creating a dialogue betweeninternational designers, local manufacturers, and researchers, the ArtisanalGold Council aims to foster South-South technology transfer, supporting localmaintenance, design adaptation, and eventual in-country manufacturing ofmercury-free processing technology.