# Silver recovery with sulphuric - just for fun



## goldmelts (Jun 29, 2009)

Hi all,

I was wondering about about recovering (not refining) silver with sulphuric acid.

Some Background:
I had some surface mounted components I stripped off some PCB's. For fun, I threw them in a jar, and covered with battery acid (sulphuric 35%). Reaction was slow, but I let them stay there for about one month.

After this period, the acid condensed to form sediment+ the components+ blue crystals. I'm assuming the crystals are copper sulfate. When adding water to the jar, the crystals were soluble in the water. The solution has a blue green color. I'm assuming this was the copper and iron in solution.

I filtered the components, and allowed the solution to settle. The precipitate at the bottom was grey. A purple powder later settle on top of the grey precipitate. I'm assuming this purple powder was the silver (it was outside thus exposed to sunlight). I noticed the grey powder settled first, and the purple stayed in the solution longer, settling last


What I wanted to do is follow the same logic, but use the whole PCB's instead. How can I extract the silver (from solder, components, monolithics, etc). I'm not looking to refine just to recover.

Is the purple powder the silver? what is the grey power? I'm assuming it is lead/ tin.
What are other thoughts regarding what I have done above?


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## Strider (Aug 30, 2009)

Any pictures?


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## butcher (Aug 30, 2009)

Tin from will be a big problem if it is in any volume. you should get rid of the solder first.
If I was looking into this, with out the lead and tin ,would consider using electrolysis, electrowinning the copper, silver Anode slimes sludge as byproduct, bagging, or membranes, should be considered.
recovering silver from solder can be done, chemically or smelting, there are also techniques of melting and removing scum from lead surface,or cupleing, but you would spend alot of money and energy for pennies, you would possibly be better off just melting solder and making bars of it and selling the solder bars, silver and all.


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## goldmelts (Sep 3, 2009)

I wish I had taken some pictures. All the liquids/ solids were trashed when we moved. but I do remember a purple precipitant when it settled.


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## Strider (Sep 8, 2009)

That's ok, you will have another chance. How much do you gain buy just "playing"? 

Strider


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## goldsilverpro (Sep 8, 2009)

Playing, intelligently, with an end result in mind, is a good way to learn.

I always looked at refining as a series of steps, each of which makes the pile smaller.


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## goldmelts (Sep 9, 2009)

Strider said:


> That's ok, you will have another chance. How much do you gain buy just "playing"?
> 
> Strider



Nothing in regards to PMs, just the learning experience


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## patnor1011 (Sep 9, 2009)

and that is why we are playin` with small amounts of virtually nothing before we will take bigger steps... :lol:


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