Extracting Platinum Form Spent Catalyst (Noob Needs Help)

[Tomac1]

Here is how I understand the process of extracting platinum from scrap metal via use of aqua regia.

step 1) Mix Hydrochloric Acid and Nirtic acid in a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio to create AR.
step 2) Introduce spent catalyst to solution.
step 3) Allow PGMs to go into solution.
step 4) Remove the honeycombs from the AR solution.
step 5) Add Ammonium Chloride to precipitate platinum.
step 6) Filter out the precipitate (is it ammonium platinate or chloroplatinate?)
step 7) Put powder in a crucible or melting pad, then hit it with an oxygen torch which should yield pure platinum.

I'm almost certain I'm missing some steps, please advise/direct to someplace online with free directions.

 

[jimmydolittle]

I’m not certain about this, but I’ve read that the AR solution has to be heated to get the platinum group metals to dissolve into solution.

 

[philddreamer]

Lazersteve has an excellent video on how to recover & refine Pt/Pd, among other excellent ones, too.
I bought one & I highly recommend it, its worth its weight in PGM's! :mrgreen:

 

[Tomac1]

I wish I hadn't posted this, had not done my homework, looks foolish... Anyway, I have acculilated a few different methods I'm going to try, the first method mentioned by CW ammen in his book under the section, RECOVERY OF PLATINUM AND PALLADIUM FROM CATALYTIC
CONVERTERS,

"simply crushing the material up, boiling it in one-
to-three hydrochloric acid and distilled water, washing the residue,
soaking it in aqua regia for 72 hours, filtering the solution, boiling off
the nitric acid, diluting the thickened solution with water, precipitating
metallic platinum (with ammonium chloride) and palladium (with po-
tassium iodide or sodium chlorate), and converting each metal to
sponge."

Ammen doesn't go into much detail with this method on this method, but I know a man who claims to have used it with some degree of success. After reading hoke and other ammen methods I think I can figure it out.

PS: I'm not allowed to post a link to it because its under copyright, but you can find it by poking around on google for awhile.

 

[philddreamer]

Evan, Lazersteve has a DVD on recovering & refining Pt & Pd from cat's.
Check it out @ his website.

Phil

 

[Tomac1]

*ATTENTION* ADVICE FOR FELLOW NOOBS, to prevent the asking of stupid questions like the ones I posed in the first post in this thread, and the accompanying embarrassment.

Please read CM Hokes book, and AW Ammens book, if you had to you could refine cats and all sorts of other stuff with no other resources but those 2. If you don't read them, you probably won't be able to ask good enough questions to get helpful responses. Just read em, trust me. I suggest reading Hokes first from start to finish, then read Ammens, but you can skip to whatever kind of refining you're interested in as mentioned above he has a good section on refining of cats.

Best Regards,
Tomac1

 

[butcher]

Tomac1, You seem to be a fast learner, I dont think it will be long before you start showing us some nice pictures of what your working on.