eWaste from PC scrap

[dofustofy]

Hey guys,

I had a member of my family drop off today a 30 gram gold nugget that was from a melt of various computer scrap.

They did not go through the process of refinement, and have ask me to recover the gold from this eWaste. My question, can I treat this computer scrap that was all melted into a 30 gram button the same, as if I were recovering, and refining some gold fill jewelry, using distilled water, and nitric acid boils to dissolve any base metals that followed along when they melted.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Screenshot attached.

 

[4metals]

Without knowing how they got the e-waste into the button form we can only assume. I take it you have no way to get an XRF result to see approximately what it is?

It looks like it is high in gold percentage and if it was e-scrap it potentially has high copper as well. Although it looks like they melted some foils or something high percentage gold.

I would melt it along with about 3 ounces of sterling silver to inquart it and part it with nitric. Done right this should get you above 99% gold. You can take that to higher purity with aqua regia. The Silver can be cemented from the parting solution and recovered on heavy copper wire.

If this was melted contact pins don't expect a lot of gold but from the color I suspect not.

 

[dofustofy]

Without knowing how they got the e-waste into the button form we can only assume. I take it you have no way to get an XRF result to see approximately what it is?

It looks like it is high in gold percentage and if it was e-scrap it potentially has high copper as well. Although it looks like they melted some foils or something high percentage gold.

I would melt it along with about 3 ounces of sterling silver to inquart it and part it with nitric. Done right this should get you above 99% gold. You can take that to higher purity with aqua regia. The Silver can be cemented from the parting solution and recovered on heavy copper wire.

If this was melted contact pins don't expect a lot of gold but from the color I suspect not.

Thanks, for the advise. Yeah I think inquartation, using silver is going to be my best bet. I doubt they remember exactly what type of eWaste they melted as it had been, years ago. They have been sitting on this, along with other ingots they have, years now and ask me to get involved, to see if the gold can be refine to purity.

 

[dofustofy]

Thanks, for the advise. Yeah I think inquartation, using silver is going to be my best bet. I doubt they remember exactly what type of eWaste they melted as it had been, years ago. They have been sitting on this, along with other ingots they have, years now and ask me to get involved, to see if the gold can be refine to purity.

I did ask my guy and he did not recall what computer waste that bead had been melted from. So, 3 OZ of sterling silver will be enough?

 

[Yggdrasil]

I did ask my guy and he did not recall what computer waste that bead had been melted from. So, 3 OZ of sterling silver will be enough?

Do you have the possibility to have a XRF scan?
You need the Gold to be around 25% of the button.
It the Gold content is below 25% already now, there is no need to add Silver.

 

[dofustofy]

Do you have the possibility to have a XRF scan?
You need the Gold to be around 25% of the button.
It the Gold content is below 25% already now, there is no need to add Silver.

I’m unsure. I did however rub some off onto a touch stone and drop a dab of 14k test solution and it ate right through it. I also did the same thing directly on the bead and it bubbled a heavy green color which indicates lot of copper in it.

 

[Yggdrasil]

I’m unsure. I did however rub some off onto a touch stone and drop a dab of 14k test solution and it ate right through it. I also did the same thing directly on the bead and it bubbled a heavy green color which indicates lot of copper in it.

I suspect it has little Silver and or Gold.
No need to add anything.
But it would been nice to know for sure.
Are there any we buy Gold shops or Pawnshops around?
The usually have a XRF machine to scan their buys.

 

[FrugalRefiner]

When dealing with unknowns like this, test tube scale testing can save a lot of guesswork and wasted chemicals. From the looks of the blob, you can pretty easily clip a few small bits off. Put a bit in some HCl, some nitric, and some AR (be sure not to overdose the nitric. drops of nitric will do) and observe. Test the AR with stannous.

Dave

 

[dofustofy]

When dealing with unknowns like this, test tube scale testing can save a lot of guesswork and wasted chemicals. From the looks of the blob, you can pretty easily clip a few small bits off. Put a bit in some HCl, some nitric, and some AR (be sure not to overdose the nitric. drops of nitric will do) and observe. Test the AR with stannous.

Dave

Thank you, Dave. That is a very good idea. I will get back to the post once I complete the test