Can you outline different methods of solubilization, with out breaking any rules?There really isn't iridium ore per se, there's just iridium as a byproduct of NiS separation from chromium during the matting process with Transvaal ores in S. Africa. By the time it's in the NiS it's already quite concentrated relative to in the original ore body. After removing the NiS it's very high grade. This is what's done at Lonmin, Anglo, Impala, etc.
We primarily process Ir from solids (i.e. spark plugs, crucibles), catalysts, chloralkali, and mostly refinery intermediates (i.e. pH 6 cake, or hydrolysis cake) from the primary producers and refiners of other PGMs.
How it is solubilized is entirely dependent on which impurities are in it, form etc.
No smelting is used at all.
AR is a terrible method that hardly work, according to what I have read so far.
Of course there are different excotic ways with pressure and so on, but it is usually quite shrouded from us mere mortals.
It is always nice to peek behind the curtain of the magic room, from time to time