First Time Gold Recovery with Acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide. Please help.

[foreverswole]

Hey guys,

First time poster here.

So this is my first time ever doing any type of gold recovery with chemicals. I'm using 30% vinegar 3% hydrogen peroxide and sodium chloride AKA table salt. So I took apart multiple electronics, phone's, computers, etc. I broke down as much as I could so I wouldn't have as much residue when I went to filter it. So I soaked all the chips, ribbons, fingers.. etc for about 12 days stirring as much as I could. Now I did end up being able to separate the gold from most of the metal that I have. However I went to filter everything and although I did recover a lot of gold I currently have a mixture of sludge and gold flake.. imagine a coffee filter with blue black sludge mixed with gold flakes. (Pictures attached). So I guess my question is how do I further isolate the Gold flake from what state it is currently in. So how do I remove the sludge from the Gold flake or vice versa? Generally speaking, what is the next step in this filtration process? Any help will be greatly appreciated and I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say. Thank you for your time.

 

[Yggdrasil]

Hey guys,

First time poster here.

So this is my first time ever doing any type of gold recovery with chemicals. I'm using 30% vinegar 3% hydrogen peroxide and sodium chloride AKA table salt. So I took apart multiple electronics, phone's, computers, etc. I broke down as much as I could so I wouldn't have as much residue when I went to filter it. So I soaked all the chips, ribbons, fingers.. etc for about 12 days stirring as much as I could. Now I did end up being able to separate the gold from most of the metal that I have. However I went to filter everything and although I did recover a lot of gold I currently have a mixture of sludge and gold flake.. imagine a coffee filter with blue black sludge mixed with gold flakes. (Pictures attached). So I guess my question is how do I further isolate the Gold flake from what state it is currently in. So how do I remove the sludge from the Gold flake or vice versa? Generally speaking, what is the next step in this filtration process? Any help will be greatly appreciated and I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say. Thank you for your time.

Welcome to us.
Let me guess, you have been looking at a bunch if youtube videos?
The reason you used Vinegar in stead of HCl was you considered it less dangerous?

Youtube have a few good/safe posters.
But 99% or maybe more is a sure path to agony.

Acetic acid vs HCl, as pure acids.
Acetic acid is more benign than HCl, that is correct.

The moment you start dissolving metals, that change. Any metals as salts may be toxic, some more than others of course. Actually metals dissolved by Acetic acid may be way more toxic than the ones dissolved in HCl. Vinegar/Acetic acid is an organic acid so its salts may be more accessible to our body.

What you have is a mix of soldering mask Tin and Copper Acetates and what not. So what to do about it?

It is time to decide if you are serious about persuing this hobby or not, if you are serious about it, we can help you help yourself. If not, there are nothing much more we can do other than tell you to take your waste to a proper waste facility.

The filters may contain a few milligrams of gold depending on how much material you had, most likely less.

So if you are serious.
Take your filters and liquids and put them aside in a safe place away from Kids and animals.

Then it is time to study.
Start reading C.M. Hokes book
It is free on the forum.
Then study safety and waste treatment.

When you feel ready to start again, make a plan and we can help adjust it if its needed.

 

[nickvc]

I will be a little more blunt than Yggdrasil , if you intend to recover and refine precious metals accept that you will make toxic fumes and solutions , just because you have used household so obviously safe items you can create some very dangerous fumes and solutions.
As advised put all this mess away very safely and start to learn the arts here on the forum and at least be aware of what you are creating and any dangers therein.

 

[foreverswole]

Much appreciated. I'll do my research

 

[sketcho]

Hello! The best resources on.recovering precious metals and Gold refinning is a YouTube channel @sreetips! . You would find a solution and see where u got stuck.

I advise you to go on his channel and consume all this videos on different methods of refinning Gold! He has some well detailed videos on electronic waste gold recovery ! Here is a link to His channel!

https://youtube.com/@sreetips
Wish you the best !