Hi all,
I have been reading (alot), watching (alot) and making notes on PM recovery from ewaste so thought I would share the results of a first timer.
I am in the UK so materials are not so easy to get hold of than in other parts of the world. Also this is just an interest to me, not looking for profit, just something small and shiny in my hand at the end (-:
I had 250 DDR2 RAM boards (512MB and 1GB) and cut the fingers off with a pair of tin snips. This gave 300g of gold fingers (1.2g per board).
I also had 40 PCIe graphics cards and cut the fingers. These gave 100g of gold fingers (2.5g per card).
I am depopulating the BGA chips for later processing via different methods.
So total of 400g of gold fingers.
I then added 500ml of 35% HCL, added 200ml of 3% H2O2 and mixed (all outside with gloves / mask etc)
After 4 hours the liquid was a dark green with a few foils floating and a few bubbles produced when stirred
After 15 hours (next morning) a slightly darker green, more foils but no bubbles
I have a bubbler but running it outside is a concern and will need some protection. Will set that up tomorrow. I will also test with a drop of water to see if the HCL is saturated (white cloud) and add another 100ml if it is.
Any comments, pointers or tips most welcome, I am learning and still reading and very open to suggestions.
I will update this post as things progress.
Thanks,
James.
I have been reading (alot), watching (alot) and making notes on PM recovery from ewaste so thought I would share the results of a first timer.
I am in the UK so materials are not so easy to get hold of than in other parts of the world. Also this is just an interest to me, not looking for profit, just something small and shiny in my hand at the end (-:
I had 250 DDR2 RAM boards (512MB and 1GB) and cut the fingers off with a pair of tin snips. This gave 300g of gold fingers (1.2g per board).
I also had 40 PCIe graphics cards and cut the fingers. These gave 100g of gold fingers (2.5g per card).
I am depopulating the BGA chips for later processing via different methods.
So total of 400g of gold fingers.
I then added 500ml of 35% HCL, added 200ml of 3% H2O2 and mixed (all outside with gloves / mask etc)
After 4 hours the liquid was a dark green with a few foils floating and a few bubbles produced when stirred
After 15 hours (next morning) a slightly darker green, more foils but no bubbles
I have a bubbler but running it outside is a concern and will need some protection. Will set that up tomorrow. I will also test with a drop of water to see if the HCL is saturated (white cloud) and add another 100ml if it is.
Any comments, pointers or tips most welcome, I am learning and still reading and very open to suggestions.
I will update this post as things progress.
Thanks,
James.