# send waste to a refinery?



## dmarth10 (Nov 10, 2008)

I was reading a post from the platinumill Chester and be did say something interesting. I wanted to know I'd you think a refiner would actually accept pre-leached converter honeycomb. This makes me think if I recover 90% pgms and they get the remaining 10% and they take 10% of pt then I get 99% of the values. What do you guys think?


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## qst42know (Nov 10, 2008)

The scrap yards I have used will not accept cats out of the can.


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## dmarth10 (Nov 10, 2008)

I am talking about actually taking it to a refinery like specialty metals.


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## qst42know (Nov 10, 2008)

Good luck with that. Let us know what they say.

I see that possibly working once if at all. Then never again. No one wants to waste time and materials on barren scrap.


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## butcher (Nov 11, 2008)

what would be the gain from cheating your refiner, if people do this they would then pay less or not take them anymore, and you would lose your source for selling them at a good price.

I would just be happy with the 90% PGM's recovered honestly and sleep goodthat night,


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## dmarth10 (Nov 11, 2008)

I wasn't looking to cheat anyone. Just wanted to know if they would accept it.


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## jimdoc (Nov 11, 2008)

In order to get 90% out of the honeycomb, you must do an assay
to know how much is in there. Then it would be tough to leave the
10% anyway. They just say to do that so you won't be stuck with
the waste, trying to push it off to be the refiners problem. 
Jim


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## Harold_V (Nov 11, 2008)

dmarth10 said:


> I wasn't looking to cheat anyone. Just wanted to know if they would accept it.


A great deal depends on the nature of the material. I did business with a company that specialized in recovering low grade values from waste materials. They accepted old flux and value contaminated solids such as processed polishing wastes that had values removed chemically. 

A complete recovery is never accomplished-----what is hoped for is to recover the vast majority of values at the lowest possible cost. 

In the case of cat materials, their purpose is to resist melting and dissolution by chemicals, so refiners may not be willing to accept them if the value included is too low. My logic is that, unlike flux that bears values, the addition of the low grade cat material isn't beneficial, and would likely be rejected, or the cost of processing may well be greater than the contained values, so you simply pay to discard your waste materials. I have yet to encounter a refiner that was willing to process without exorbitant fees. they insure they make a profit, even when you get screwed in the process. 

I don't have a solution to offer you. I avoided processing not only cats, but e scrap as well. Both were processed enough to teach me that they are best avoided for a refining business that thrives on karat gold. 

Harold


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