Base metal removal

[Shark]

Just so I understand correctly, you have an ore that is 90% iron after smelting?

 

[Lino1406]

I suggest the following test: fine grinding, panning or gravity separation of the original ore such that the heaviest third is assayed, compared with the lighter part, that may be useful

 

[Mr.Rhodium]

Just so I understand correctly, you have an ore that is 90% iron after smelting?

Correct, If I Take 1 ton of ore and smelt it with the right flux and add the right temp and time I have All king of base metals (Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Ti, etc..), All metals from the platinum metal group, Au, Ag. But must of it is Fe.

 

[Mr.Rhodium]

I suggest the following test: fine grinding, panning or gravity separation of the original ore such that the heaviest third is assayed, compared with the lighter part, that may be useful

Tried that a month ago.. Maybe the shaking table need some adjustment but the I got only 1% in the heaviest (first part) and lots of stuff washed away.. I will keep trying.

Thanks for the tip

 

[Alondro]

Hmm, I wonder if there is a trick in which my galvanic copper salt reduction cell method might be applicable.

It dissolves iron away rapidly, dropping copper and leaving a solution of iron chloride. Just scale the whole process up, and he'd be left with metallic copper and PM slimes mixed together, which could then be melted into a bar and electrolyzed.

The galvanic step requires no input of energy, and just a large enough volume of copper chloride solution. Connect the PM-containing iron to the copper electrode with a thick copper wire, dip the rods into the solution, and let it do its thing!

 

[Mr.Rhodium]

Hmm, I wonder if there is a trick in which my galvanic copper salt reduction cell method might be applicable.

It dissolves iron away rapidly, dropping copper and leaving a solution of iron chloride. Just scale the whole process up, and he'd be left with metallic copper and PM slimes mixed together, which could then be melted into a bar and electrolyzed.

The galvanic step requires no input of energy, and just a large enough volume of copper chloride solution. Connect the PM-containing iron to the copper electrode with a thick copper wire, dip the rods into the solution, and let it do its thing!

Thank you very much for your answer. I will check it and probably contact you soon in private.

 

[jphayesjr]

I had a cousin who was an engineer in a taconite operation. He told me they had significant PM including PGMs. Their strategy was to part pyrologically, using a collector metal. Then, separate slag from iron pyrologically using a oxygen blower, a comparable process to Bessemer
Conversion. Then, they would pulverize to cooled slag and leach it, followed by appropriate hydrological processes for each precious and rare metal. They accumulated the decanted "waste" and non-pgm precipitates, and recovered germanium and indium, copper, tin. The process was patented, it probably could be located on the blm or Patent Office websites. He put in some years in a shaft mining operation for copper. They used a variant of the same process. They were working with gigantic quantities of materials in huge plants with excellent equipment and safety resources, especially when handling PGMs. They also scrubbed and neutralized any effluent since they were located in a sensitive area of the US's North Woods. I think they now skip the hydrologic steps, and electro-plasma smelt in a neutral gas atmosphere for rarer PGMs, once corraled, off to a specialist for ultimate purification. I think they also send out the platinum and gold, and silver, and the non-ferrous base metals to specialists. The PMs are a by product of their primary activity. Given increased prices for reagents, and stricter EPA and DNR regulation, it just makes sense to accumulate PM cons until the refined yields would exceed minimum reqs for Good Delivery. It's financial gravy and smart by- product management.

 

[rusti2]

I am using very high temp (around 1900c) with ore and flux.
I noticed that when I used lower temperature lots of the values stays in the slag.
I tried it with copper as collector. but similar issue. when I am using electroplating the current drops from time to time and it takes month to finish the bar. replacing the liquid every week, and filter the slimes.

So if I am using lower temperature I am not getting all of the PGMs

Finally, for my part, it is not possible to reach 1900 °C, not even in electric arc or plasma furnaces, except in specific places where the arc of the electrodes or the feather of the torch enters, these furnaces require water-cooled refractory walls , so that they do not melt, of chromium magnesite, calcium oxide.

 

[Martijn]

forming a fine shot that is leachable with hot hydrochloric or sulfuric acid and with agitation.

Edited by Moderator to get the posters text out of the quote

If you have an ore you can grind down to fine powder, roast, regrind and separate magnetically a couple times to take the bulk of iron out and not loose too much gold in there.
Then you have a powdered concentrate with a lot of surface area to work with acids. Or you could melt with sulfur and a good flux to absorb the iron sulfides.
Separate as much out as you can and if you want to treat with acids, do so before any melting. It will go much better. It actually makes no sense to melt a dirty mix of metals.
Smelting is another thing.

Martijn.

 

[Martijn]

I missed an entite page of replies writing this. So it might be redundant.

 

[Mr.Rhodium]

Finally, for my part, it is not possible to reach 1900 °C, not even in electric arc or plasma furnaces, except in specific places where the arc of the electrodes or the feather of the torch enters, these furnaces require water-cooled refractory walls , so that they do not melt, of chromium magnesite, calcium oxide.

.
I have induction furnace that is reaching 1900c and more (its a fact). it break the crucible fast but it is for sure goes to 1900c
it got water cooling.

 

[Yggdrasil]

.
I have induction furnace that is reaching 1900c and more (its a fact). it break the crucible fast but it is for sure goes to 1900c
it got water cooling.

You have not given us much information to go on.
So you have to live with the answers that come from that.
Do some research on how they treat the PGM ores in South Africa.
I believe they are something like this.

 

[Mr.Rhodium]

You have not given us much information to go on.
So you have to live with the answers that come from that.
Do some research on how they treat the PGM ores in South Africa.
I believe they are something like this.

I appreciate the help.
All I need is to know the proper way to separate base metals with some precious metals. What is the simplest way to make it commercial.
I thank you for ideas on how to pre-separate the iron but I am trying to avoid this step at the moment.

 

[Mr.Rhodium]

You have not given us much information to go on.
So you have to live with the answers that come from that.
Do some research on how they treat the PGM ores in South Africa.
I believe they are something like this.

Just imagine that there is a bar or in any other form (can be of any weight) that contains a lot of Fe and some precious metals. How can the amount of base metals be reduced or completely separated in the fastest and most efficient way. No matter how much it costs.

 

[niks neims]

No matter how much it costs.

Dilute nitric?

 

[Mr.Rhodium]

Dilute nitric?

Tried that before, the nitric take some of the palladium and also part of rhodium to solution.

 

[Yggdrasil]

Tried that before, the nitric take some of the palladium and also part of rhodium to solution.

Yes Nitric takes Pd and also some Pt along with the Pd, but I have never heard it take Rh into solution.
Rh is barely soluble in boiling AR.

 

[Mr.Rhodium]

Yes Nitric takes Pd and also some Pt along with the Pd, but I have never heard it take Rh into solution.
Rh is barely soluble in boiling AR.

I and the expert who was with me in the experiment were surprised.
He tried to explain to me about the size of the atoms and that one drags the other, etc.

 

[niks neims]

Tried that before, the nitric take some of the palladium and also part of rhodium to solution.

Wouldnt it just cement out once its saturated with iron? Next batch perhaps?

 

[Yggdrasil]

I and the expert who was with me in the experiment were surprised.
He tried to explain to me about the size of the atoms and that one drags the other, etc.

It is well known that Silver and Pd will also dissolve some Platinum in Nitric.
But not Rhodium as I know.
How was this tested?