# Melt spend cats, recipe?



## alb320 (Dec 3, 2008)

Hi guys, 
I'm going to try to melt some of spend cats and recovery PGM in my little foundry.
There is a recipe that allow recovery process?
I have seen Catalaytic Convertor Recovery Data but I haven't understood how he melt they.

I'm intersted for recovery 80% of PGM ( I do not claim 99%).

Thank you


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## butcher (Dec 4, 2008)

wouldn't acids work better. pgm follow silver.


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## alb320 (Dec 5, 2008)

I would konw if There is a recipe that allow me to melt cats... I have 4 furnaces in my little foundry, but anything of for work with acids...

Someone know somethings?


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## butcher (Dec 5, 2008)

If I did would use flux and silver, but I would prefer to use use acids.
I have read patents on this maybe search for them on web.I cant remember details.


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## alb320 (Dec 6, 2008)

Thank you butcher!!
I'll search on web a functionally recipe....


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## arthur kierski (Dec 7, 2008)

i made it 12years ago and it worked----i did the following:i grounded 150 kilos of cats substrate and mixed with 75kilos of soda ash(na2co3) +75kilos of borax +5kilos of copper--in a revertebory furnace for 4hours at a tempof 1200centigrates---all the pgm made an alloy with copper and was extracted from the copper alloy with chemical means(it could also done electollitically)----at that time i sent the copper alloy to a refinery for processing and the refinery prices was so high that it was not worth for me to continue----now that i refine by myself it was worth doing it again,but with the pmg plunge,i will wait for better times


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## Platdigger (Dec 7, 2008)

Hi Arthor, you think all, or substantially all of the rhodium reported to the copper?

Randy


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## arthur kierski (Dec 8, 2008)

yes platdigger,all the rh went to the copper alloy---they made an assay in the remainig slag


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## alb320 (Dec 9, 2008)

Thank you Arthur, 
I'm grateful to you for your advice.

I will test it and I will post my result.
Best regards
Alb320


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## Anonymous (Feb 16, 2009)

alb320 said:


> I would konw if There is a recipe that allow me to melt cats... I have 4 furnaces in my little foundry, but anything of for work with acids...
> 
> Smeone know somethings?


all pgms melt at 615 degrees farenheigh in presence of lead

rooster


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## Lou (Feb 16, 2009)

Wrong.

Lead doesn't even melt at that temperature, just a few more degrees.


Besides, some of the PGMs don't dissolve well until much higher temperatures.


Gold and silver are better solvents.


Lou


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## Anonymous (Feb 16, 2009)

Lou
You sure about that, I thaught lead melted around 800 F, he said 1200 C

Thanks
Jim


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## Lou (Feb 16, 2009)

From where I'm reading, it says 615 F.

Lead melts at about 621F.


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## Anonymous (Feb 16, 2009)

Sorry
I must be missing something somewere, I also thaught it would be odd for you to be wrong.

Jim


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## Lou (Feb 16, 2009)

I'm slow tonight Jim.

He posted his post as a draft I believe. So I can see it but you can't (I think?).


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## JustinNH (Feb 17, 2009)

Lou said:


> I'm slow tonight Jim.
> 
> He posted his post as a draft I believe. So I can see it but you can't (I think?).



Yeah, we see a 'post under construction'... :wink:


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