Best practice of filtering copper anodes slimes

[Ayham Hafez]

If it goes through the filter, I'm not sure a filter press will fix much.
Maybe centrifugal concentration will be the best solution.

It's easy to test by making a whirlpool in a beaker by stirring, will check next week

 

[Yggdrasil]

It's easy to test by making a whirlpool in a beaker by stirring, will check next week

There will probably be too much turbulence created by the swirling liquid.
Do you have a lab centrifuge?

 

[Ayham Hafez]

There will probably be too much turbulence created by the swirling liquid.
Do you have a lab centrifuge?

No but I will use magnetic stirrer with 1400 RPM, isn't enough?

 

[Yggdrasil]

No but I will use magnetic stirrer with 1400 RPM, isn't enough?

Should be enough, but a magnetic stirrer is designed to mix and do so by creating a high turbulence inside the medium.
A centrifuge for separating works by creating a high amount of "gravity" in a mostly stagnant liquid.

 

[Ayham Hafez]

Should be enough, but a magnetic stirrer is designed to mix and do so by creating a high turbulence inside the medium.
A centrifuge for separating works by creating a high amount of "gravity" in a mostly stagnant liquid.

I missed this point, let's wait to see if someone here has experience with mud in centrifugal machine.

 

[nickvc]

As I suggested try wicking the solution it’s good for solutions that are hard or impossible to filter.

 

[Ayham Hafez]

As I suggested try wicking the solution it’s good for solutions that are hard or impossible to filter.

Could you please describe how to wick the solution, this is first time I hear this term.

 

[Yggdrasil]

Could you please describe how to wick the solution, this is first time I hear this term.

You put a piece of finely weaved fabric or rope into the vessel and let the capillary effect draw out the liquid.
One end of the wick needs to be in the liquid and the other end should be lower than the surface of the liquid.
Often a fine filter or cloth can be used to separate the wick from the liquid as an extra precaution.

 

[Ayham Hafez]

One end of the wick needs to be in the liquid and the other end should be lower than the surface of the liquid.

Do you mean the other end higher than the surface of the liquid.

Usually I use cotton wick in a funnel to filter dirty acids, I make it long and make sure the liquid surface is under the end of the cotton wick.

If its the same of my cotton wick idea then it will not work cause I tested it many times, it will work until all pores closed and usually they are closed quickly even if the top end of the cotton wick is clean and upper the liquid surface. Please inform me if it's not the same idea

 

[Ayham Hafez]

You put a piece of finely weaved fabric or rope into the vessel and let the capillary effect draw out the liquid.
One end of the wick needs to be in the liquid and the other end should be lower than the surface of the liquid.
Often a fine filter or cloth can be used to separate the wick from the liquid as an extra precaution.

Or you mean like this?

 

[FrugalRefiner]

Or you mean like this?

Yes, like what is shown in the video.

Dave

 

[Ayham Hafez]

Yes, like what is shown in the video.

Dave

Thanks, it looks work well, will put large piece of woven fabric in plastic noodle strainer, make sure the end parts of it lower than the bottom of the noodle strainer.

 

[Shark]

Wicking can be done using fifty gallon drums and bath or beach towels.

 

[Ayham Hafez]

Wicking can be done using fifty gallon drums and bath or beach towels.

How long time it could take to dry 10 gallons by wicking using bath towels?

 

[Shark]

As with most filtering techniques, it depends on the solution. But, on average, the few times I used it, it took 6 to 8 hours to do 40 gallons of waste that had been dropped by iron.

 

[Castledreams]

I am new to processing of copper slimes myself, so I unfortunately don't have a solution to contribute. My perhaps ignorant question is what is the component of the slimes that gives it the slimy and filtering problematic issue? I know my slimes consist of gold, platinum group metals and some lead. It seams to me that figuring out the problematic element(s), helps to determine what to seperate out and then process that by itself, if it is worth the effort. Am I being too simplistic? For now, I am keeping my e-waste slimes seperate from my silver cell slimes, as there are so many more added "ingredients" to complicate the process of identifying the culprit(s).

 

[nickvc]

One of the problems with slimes is the size of the particles , another problem is that the main constituent of slimes is the target metal from the cell , i would guess and say probably 90%+ and that is one of the first things to try to overcome but as most seem to find it’s not easy and even the major refiners struggle to do so in a timely way from what I can find.

 

[4metals]

Some years back Chris Owen (GSP) mentioned using wicking for stubborn filter lots and I used a plastic cement mixing tray with a beach towel in the bottom which hung over the end and dropped to a foot or so below the bottom of the tray where it collected into a second tray acting as a receiver. I filled it with slimes and went home and came back to a cake of slimes and clear electrolyte in the bottom tray. It isn't great if you are impatient, but it is effective for stubborn to filter jobs.

And for small refiners who generate only 10 gallons of waste a day, it can effectively filter metal hydroxides from waste water without the expense of a filter press. Just exercise patience.

 

[Martijn]

LIke with fine gold suspended in solution after a drop, you can use a simmering boil with some sulfuric (which is in the electrolyte) to make it all drop to the bottom.
I use that method for the sulfuric cell slimes as well. Only that has more sulfuric in it. Then decanting is much easier.