“Changing the way the world mines”
Rob interviews Richard Verkley, CEO & Executive Chairman of Eco Metals Recovery, a new green mining equipment manufacturing business entering the global gold mining market with a unique metals recovery system called the "Separator". Richard talks about what the company are doing in the industry and about Karuschain, a type of blockchain that aims to transform the supply chain within mining.
KEY TAKEAWAYS

Eco Metals Recovery was “born in the jungles of Ecuador”, and was sparked by the notion of removing poisons from a river. From a conversation between Richard and another engineer, they began to wonder if they could use the same practice to separate precious metals from minerals, but the technology wasn’t quite ready.
The answer to this conundrum was found in the use of aerospace polymers, which were able to bypass such outdated practices as centrifugal separation, in order to better ensure that metals and minerals could be separated early in the process.
The Separator is more durable than other mining equipment, and due to its innovative design, can be snapped together like a Lego set, allowing for a level of transportability hitherto unseen in this type of machinery.
By building a varied team from different sectors in the mining industry, Richard has managed to assemble an experienced team, each with their own unique gifts, and who are instantly recognised as one of the most respected teams in mining, which stands them in good stead when it comes to approaching governments and other mining groups.
A blockchain is something that pulls together a series of transactions between a number of parties. Richard has used the blockchain method to develop Karuschain, an equally linked system of operations designed to transform the supply chain within mining.
Karuschain is described by Richard as a utility that runs imaginary wires all the way through the mining process to the end customer, recording every transaction along the way so that each customer can trace the origin and cleanliness, as well as the progress along the way.
Eco Metals’ vision for the future is not one thing, but an array of different technologies and advancements designed to push the mining industry forward. Through innovative creations such as the Karus utilities and the Separator, Eco Metals hope to put their stamp on the mining industry as a whole.

BEST MOMENTS
“Pretty much everything we’re doing is eight hundred years old” 
“You could backpack, with three people, a version of this into extremely difficult terrain” 
“I want to change how we mine. I want to change what we’re doing to the environment” 
“I love the statistic that 70% of all gold is mined in Switzerland”
“What we’re doing is re-wiring the world” 
“What do I do next, and how do I do something that makes a difference?”
 
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Dig Deep – The Mining Podcast on iTunesEco Metals Recovery
 
ABOUT THE HOST
Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community insight to peoples experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.
 
Rob is the Founder and Director of Mining International Ltd, a leading global recruitment and headhunting consultancy based in the UK specialising in all areas of mining across the globe from first world to third world countries from Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia. We source, headhunt and discover new and top talent through a targeted approach and search methodology and have a proven track record in sourcing and positioning exceptional candidates into our clients organisation in any mining discipline or level. Mining International provides a transparent, informative and trusted consultancy service