Por: Gustavo Cusma Castillo, Aleasol, y Michael Cueto y Pedro A. Paucar, consultores independientes.

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present a traceability tool for gold ore, which monitors the origin and movement of material throughout the production chain up to its final product, within the framework of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining. This initiative arose from the need to certify that the mineral comes from a reliable and “legal” source, thereby adding value in its commercialization in Peru.

Illegal mining, on the other hand, is a scourge for society, as this illicit activity represents an economic driver for other criminal activities that directly or indirectly affect the entire population of Peru and the world.

The Real Academia Española (RAE) defines traceability as the “ability to identify the origin and the different stages of a production and distribution process of consumer goods.” This model has been developed and applied to the traceability of gold ore processed at a beneficiation plant belonging to a mineral aggregation company, where traceability is redefined as “the set of procedures that make it possible to record and identify gold content throughout the entire production chain and to reconstruct the product’s trajectory from its origin to its commercialization. This is achieved through tools and records that are tracked and verified through controls applied at each stage.” This tool makes it possible to identify the origin of the mineral and its producer by cross-referencing data such as the Taxpayer Identification Registry (RUC), the Comprehensive Mining Formalization Registry (REINFO), the Special Registry of Gold Traders and Processors (RECPO) as of July 12, 2025, among other verification criteria. 

It also enables the localization of valuable material and interoperability throughout the process chain by discretizing mineral processing times at the plant. In other words, it makes it possible to determine the location of gold within the processing chain by measuring residence time, beginning control at the point where the ore enters the grinding process and subsequently tracking it through the stages of activated carbon adsorption, desorption, smelting, and refining.

According to Ballester (2000), adsorption may be defined as the attachment of certain metallic anions to the ion-exchange sites on the surface of activated carbon when it comes into contact with a pregnant solution (p. 456).

Desorption should be considered the inverse process of adsorption; that is, the technique by which metallic content is removed from activated carbon under specific conditions of reagent concentration, pressure, and temperature.

The method used to achieve adsorption on activated carbon is Carbon in Pulp (CIP). In this process, the leach pulp is mixed with granular carbon so that the dissolved metal is adsorbed. The loaded carbon is easily separated from the pulp by screening and washing, after which elution is carried out. Mechanically and pneumatically agitated tanks are used (Ballester, 2000, p. 458).

As a result of tracking the ore throughout the processing chain, a list of mining producers associated with the physical gold bar produced is generated, together with the percentage contribution of physical gold from the ore to the final bar. This makes it possible to document and exercise control not only over the product, but also over the producer. This tool was designed for use by individuals, legal entities, and institutions, given that illegal mining affects all stakeholders. It also seeks to ensure efficiency in material control, optimize resource utilization, and improve data-driven decision-making.

Traditionally, information has often been managed using Excel files, which present limitations in terms of scalability, security, and automation. Therefore, migration to an SQL-type database (Structured Query Language), among other systems, is necessary to improve data performance and traceability, thereby fostering the digital transformation of mining companies.