A miner holds a silver-bearing ore sample at an open-pit operation.
for Action on Artisanal and SmallScale Gold Mining brings together a range of stakeholders, including the World Bank, the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF), and PlanetGOLD — a UN affiliated initiative focused on reducing mercury use in artisanal mining.
introduction of processing plants that act as intermediate refining facilities. These plants would process ore from artisanal miners using more advanced technologies that significantly improve gold recovery rates compared with mercury.
Using semi-industrial processing methods, miners can extract substantially more gold from the same ore, earning higher incomes while avoiding mercury use. Mercury recovery rates are often only around 30–40% and, even under optimal conditions, remain far less efficient than modern processing technologies. “If we can establish these processing plants, they could become important points of leverage for due
“The aim is to create the enabling infrastructure needed to formalise parts of the ASGM sector, while also bringing governments into the conversation. There are several components to this. One is the development and rollout of local processing plants. Another is the coalition itself, which can help coordinate action among stakeholders, including responsible buyers of gold such as central banks. A third involves new technologies that can introduce greater transparency into what is currently an opaque system.”
Using specialised technology, it is possible to analyse trace elements within gold at the ore body to generate a unique chemical signature. When that gold later arrives at a processing facility, it can be tested again to verify that it originates from an identified source.
diligence within the supply chain. A small number of facilities are already operating in Latin America, with several pilot projects planned in West Africa. The real challenge is bringing the right partners on board to make these initiatives viable. Processing plants alone are not enough — they must be supported by appropriate infrastructure, access to technology and support for local miners, and, critically, the backing of local authorities and national governments to ensure the system functions effectively,” Mulligan explains. Another area of innovation is geoforensic ‘fingerprinting’. Using specialised technology, it is possible to analyse trace elements within gold at the ore body to generate a unique
A key incentive, says Mulligan, is offering a fair price for gold produced by artisanal and smallscale miners, but with conditions attached — including reducing and ultimately eliminating the use of mercury. Mercury is widely used in artisanal mining to extract gold from ore, yet it is highly toxic, posing serious environmental and health risks, and remains one of the sector’s most significant challenges. To address this, the World Gold Council is exploring the
May 2026 | www.modernminingmagazine.co.za MODERN MINING 11
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