NobleMetalWorks
Well-known member
I'm adapting my understanding and use of salt water aquarium filtration design to the AP process. This is what I have done thus far.
I was given a 110 gallon acrylic tank by a friend that no longer keeps tanks. The acrylic has been fused together using a chemical method so that the tank is really one piece. I have had the same type of plexi submersed in one of my AP tanks for over 2 months now without any degradation, crazing, cracking or other damage, and from what I have read it doesn't seem I should have any problems with the etching solution affecting the plexi.
I bought a little giant acid rated pump, to move the solution.
I have a 30 gallon sump/reef filter that is basically another acrylic tank partitioned so as to filter with different media.
I have a pre-filter that fits on the back of the tank, and hangs over on the inside.
This is how it works. The pump, pumps solution into the tank, and agitates the solution so I don't need any mechanical agitation. The solution spills over to the gravity pre-filter that hangs on the back, and then falls down PVC pipe into the 30 gallon sump underneath to be pumped back into the tank. As the solution is pumped back into the tank it's split into four outlets that agitate in different directions and at different levels.
When the gold foil comes loose, it eventually is picked up by the pre-filter, and then moves down the PVC pipe into the sump filter.
The only part I am missing is a sponge filter that is resistant to HCl/Cl or even AR. The idea is to put this sponge filter in the sump where the PVC drops the solution with the gold foils. The sponge filter would capture all the gold foil, then all you would have to do is remove the sponge filter, immerse it in HCl/Cl or AR to dissolve the gold into solution and out of the sponge.
I have a few ideas later for a eletrowinnowing setup using carbon as the collector to be immersed in AR to collect the Au from the carbon, but that's a little further down the road.
Does anyone know of a sponge material that would be resistant to Ar? This type of material might also be useful as a charmin plug (thanks Geo).
Scott
I was given a 110 gallon acrylic tank by a friend that no longer keeps tanks. The acrylic has been fused together using a chemical method so that the tank is really one piece. I have had the same type of plexi submersed in one of my AP tanks for over 2 months now without any degradation, crazing, cracking or other damage, and from what I have read it doesn't seem I should have any problems with the etching solution affecting the plexi.
I bought a little giant acid rated pump, to move the solution.
I have a 30 gallon sump/reef filter that is basically another acrylic tank partitioned so as to filter with different media.
I have a pre-filter that fits on the back of the tank, and hangs over on the inside.
This is how it works. The pump, pumps solution into the tank, and agitates the solution so I don't need any mechanical agitation. The solution spills over to the gravity pre-filter that hangs on the back, and then falls down PVC pipe into the 30 gallon sump underneath to be pumped back into the tank. As the solution is pumped back into the tank it's split into four outlets that agitate in different directions and at different levels.
When the gold foil comes loose, it eventually is picked up by the pre-filter, and then moves down the PVC pipe into the sump filter.
The only part I am missing is a sponge filter that is resistant to HCl/Cl or even AR. The idea is to put this sponge filter in the sump where the PVC drops the solution with the gold foils. The sponge filter would capture all the gold foil, then all you would have to do is remove the sponge filter, immerse it in HCl/Cl or AR to dissolve the gold into solution and out of the sponge.
I have a few ideas later for a eletrowinnowing setup using carbon as the collector to be immersed in AR to collect the Au from the carbon, but that's a little further down the road.
Does anyone know of a sponge material that would be resistant to Ar? This type of material might also be useful as a charmin plug (thanks Geo).
Scott