freezing pregnant leach

[solarsmith]

does any one know of or have any knowledge of freezing pregnant leach to be able to remove the water as ice thus concentrating the leach.

 

[Yggdrasil]

does any one know of or have any knoledge of freazing pregnant leach to be able to remove the water as ice thus concentrating the leach.

I have no knowledge on this as such.
But from the top of my head any dissolved salt would lower the freezing point and at some point the solubility of different salts would make them crash out.
This may or may not be before or after the water freezing.
When the water freezes it will be a slurry that will hold on to some of the pregnant solution.
In short it need to be tested but I suspect it can burdened with heavy losses.
Maybe a supercooled coil or similar dipped into the solution will be better?

 

[nickvc]

I’m not sure that would work but I’m no chemist or physicist but with a pregnant solution as it all contains values as it freezes surely some values would be frozen in the ice, I could well be wrong but try a small sample and see what happens and let us know, if anyone knows different please chime in and correct my thinking.

 

[4metals]

I experienced something similar with freezing being used to concentrate a solution but it was wooden casks of apple cider that fermented and were set out to freeze. When the water in the cask froze the alcohol was concentrated until the cask was knocked over and the ice surrounding the liquid alcohol concentrate center was drilled and the concentrate was poured out of the hole drilled to the center.

Maybe if you were leaching with whiskey it may work but I have my doubts with water soluble leach chemistry.

 

[Yggdrasil]

I experienced something similar with freezing being used to concentrate a solution but it was wooden casks of apple cider that fermented and were set out to freeze. When the water in the cask froze the alcohol was concentrated until the cask was knocked over and the ice surrounding the liquid alcohol concentrate center was drilled and the concentrate was poured out of the hole drilled to the center.

Maybe if you were leaching with whiskey it may work but I have my doubts with water soluble leach chemistry.

It will concentrate the Alcohol but with heavy losses.
Not very ideal if it is pregnant with Gold

 

[4metals]

It will concentrate the Alcohol but with heavy losses.

I defer to the wisdom of the man from the cold country! I saw this in college while up in Vermont they had a few casks of spoiled cider and they put them outside to freeze out the alcohol. Didn't think much then about the losses but the good stuff in the center was memorable.

 

[Shark]

If the temperature stays around 25-27 F, it reduces loss of alcohol and increase the wines strength. Colder and the alcohol content becomes a bit lower, but often better tasting. I have no idea what it would do to gold.

 

[4metals]

If the temperature stays around 25-27 F, it reduces loss of alcohol and increase the wines strength. Colder and the alcohol content becomes a bit lower, but often better tasting.

Now how does a fine citizen from Alabama know that? Every time I've been to or through Alabama I was sweating non stop?

 

[Shark]

I spent several years living up north in my younger years, including Idaho, Colorado, Indiana and Illinois. As well, I spent months working in several other states over the years including New York, Missouri, South Dakota, Maryland, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas and Iowa to name the majority. I have been around the block a few times but always ended up back home.

Edit, to add it has been below freezing here at night for several days now. Yesterday the high where I hunt only made it to 38F with a wind-chill of 29F.

 

[4metals]

I have been around the block a few times but always ended up back home.

That's what Forest Gump said!

 

[Terrance Way]

I think Dorothy said it best when she clicked her heels and said there's no place like home.

 

[eaglekeeper]

does any one know of or have any knowledge of freezing pregnant leach to be able to remove the water as ice thus concentrating the leach.

I would think slowly evaporating with some heat would be better.... the only loses would be water.

I defer to the wisdom of the man from the cold country! I saw this in college while up in Vermont they had a few casks of spoiled cider and they put them outside to freeze out the alcohol. Didn't think much then about the losses but the good stuff in the center was memorable.

That does work, but it will also concentrate the methanol (if any). I've found that with the right conditions and the proper yeast you can ferment out up to 20% alcohol without distillation. I generally use Lalvin EC1118 yeast which will ferment just about anything. But If I'm doing a mead, I prefer to use a different yeast that's not such a brute.

 

[Shark]

I would think slowly evaporating with some heat would be better.... the only loses would be water.


That does work, but it will also concentrate the methanol (if any). I've found that with the right conditions and the proper yeast you can ferment out up to 20% alcohol without distillation. I generally use Lalvin EC1118 yeast which will ferment just about anything. But If I'm doing a mead, I prefer to use a different yeast that's not such a brute.

To deal with the methanol, simple pasteurization is used. Heat on an open container, stew pot works best for me, to around 150F. Very slowly raise the temperature until a slight steam is noticed rising on the surface. Hold it at this temperature, usually around 155F, for fifteen minutes or until the faint steam stops. This can remove up to 100% of the methanol when done right, but can have a blache effect on taste at times. It all depends on the ingredients and time spent bringing it up to heat.
Lalvin 1118 is a good all around yeast, and even prefer at times, a great begginers yeast is Lalvin 71B as it works well with the hard to ferment fruits. I will have to check the label to see what it is I used to make Champaign as it has been a while. But white grapes can make a great bubbly drink at times .

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