Last September, Daniel Stapper of facilitated the construction of three of our Popandson sluices in Abuja, Nigeria, along with a furnace, crucibles, and the tongs needed for direct smelting of gold ore concentrate. He was able to easily procure the materials in-country and the cost of production was around one-fifth the cost of fabrication in the United States. This demonstration proves that improved recovery technology can be easily created anywhere.
One of the greatest benefits of our improved sluicing technology is that it is familiar. Sluicing has been the standard method of gravity concentration in gold mining for hundreds of years, and the vast majority of the ASGM still employs it today.
Making an improvement on age-old technologyÌýmay not be as effective at recovery as some of the more recent high-tech solutions, but there are notable benefits attached. It is affordable, accessible, and there is no learning curve and very few outside resource necessities.
This makes improved sluicing a convenient method to implement, and the rate of recovery means a boost in yield for hard work. We’ve foundÌýthatÌýthe yield of our fine-gold Popandson sluice shows recoveries of +95%Ìýof gold from 100 to 200 mesh, and +85% of gold from 200-325 mesh atÌýsmall-scale production rates.
ÐÇ¿ÕÊÓƵ has made our Popandson Sluice technology available to all for over a decade. They are free for all, and it is our wish to see them being made and used where they belong–out in the field making a difference for people.
ÌýThe schematics for building a Popandson sluice can be found on our website.
Further information can be found on our Improved Sluicing Technology page.
Please let us know if you begin a project that uses our improved gravity concentration techniques. We’d love to know about where and how technology is making a difference in the lives of the ASGM community.