Copper pot problem....maybe?

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Benjaminza

Active member
Joined
Nov 2, 2022
Messages
40
Location
South Africa
Hey guys...me again.

So last night I took about 8 m of 2.5 mm solid copper conductor( taken from a 2.5 x 4 surflex) and wound it into a hotdog shaped piece of copper and placed it into my first waste bucket.

Tonight ( ruffly 24 hours later) when I checked on it it was gone.

First question is...is it at all possible for that much copper to go into solution that quickly.

Second question is the grey solids in the bucket will be silver...what about the black slime in the bottom.

Thanks guys
 
Benjaminza said:
Hey guys...me again.

So last night I took about 8 m of 2.5 mm solid copper conductor( taken from a 2.5 x 4 surflex) and wound it into a hotdog shaped piece of copper and placed it into my first waste bucket.

Tonight ( ruffly 24 hours later) when I checked on it it was gone.

First question is...is it at all possible for that much copper to go into solution that quickly.

Second question is the grey solids in the bucket will be silver...what about the black slime in the bottom.

Thanks guys
Click to expand...
Better use Solid Copper bar like bus bar or such.
I guess there is still too much Nitric acid in there.

The grey maybe Silver, the black can be Silver, Gold or any PGM.
 
No, copper is there to serve multiple purposes. First is that it willeffectively de-oxidize the solution, killing excess nitric (if there is good outgasing of NOx created, otherwise they will partially reform nitric when oxygen is let in from air) and simultaneously precipitating more noble metals out.
On top of that, copper will dissolve also in neutral spent waste liquid due to presence of CuCl2. This synproportionates with Cu to form cupric chloride: CuCl2 + Cu --> 2 CuCl. It is one of the methods how PCB boards are etched - by CuCl2.
You need to add bigger copper plate, or "opened" copper tubing. Casting your own anode bars is one of the best choices.
 
Benjaminza said:
Hey guys...me again.

So last night I took about 8 m of 2.5 mm solid copper conductor( taken from a 2.5 x 4 surflex) and wound it into a hotdog shaped piece of copper and placed it into my first waste bucket.

Tonight ( ruffly 24 hours later) when I checked on it it was gone.

First question is...is it at all possible for that much copper to go into solution that quickly.

Second question is the grey solids in the bucket will be silver...what about the black slime in the bottom.

Thanks guys
Click to expand...

Copper will cement metals below itself, if they're present..

Electromotive-series-of-metals.png
 
Benjaminza said:
Hey guys...me again.

So last night I took about 8 m of 2.5 mm solid copper conductor( taken from a 2.5 x 4 surflex) and wound it into a hotdog shaped piece of copper and placed it into my first waste bucket.

Tonight ( ruffly 24 hours later) when I checked on it it was gone.

First question is...is it at all possible for that much copper to go into solution that quickly.

Second question is the grey solids in the bucket will be silver...what about the black slime in the bottom.

Thanks guys
Click to expand...
When posting questions like this, please do not make a new thread, since it refers back to your original post it should be there.
Where did this solution come from?
 
If you are treating waste AR any silver would already be there as silver chloride , what is the source material you are refining as perhaps knowing that we can speculate on what the sediment you are seeing is.
 
Not sure. I cleaned the legs off some ic chips. Then i incinerated and grinded with a blender. Seeing as I dont have a sluice I just gravity separated as far as possible then hit with ar.
 
Benjaminza said:
After inceneration I would say yes but ash was black after grinding
Click to expand...
Then you still have Carbon in it, and the Carbon have to be completely removed before dissolving the Gold.
The Carbon has a high affinity for Gold and will bind it or pick it up.
You should have a final incineration after the grinding.
How much did remain after grinding?
 
Not sure...had a regrind of all those material today and hit with ar again. Got a strong stannous test result. Problem is the AR is a deep almost avo green and looks like stannous result is brown...any thoughts...haven't denoxed or dropped lead yet.
 
Benjaminza said:
Not sure...had a regrind of all those material today and hit with ar again. Got a strong stannous test result. Problem is the AR is a deep almost avo green and looks like stannous result is brown...any thoughts...haven't denoxed or dropped lead yet.
Click to expand...
Green is usually Copper.
Brown Stannous is too much Copper or SO2
 

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