Non-Chemical Furnace Temp / Cupellation process for Getting Metallic Oxide Sponge contain PGMs.

[CO-WYO-Peter]

However, I have learned that cupelling is not the right way to go to create pgm metals. It is my understanding that what is left on the sides of the cupel wall can be pgm sponge.

 

[orvi]

However, I have learned that cupelling is not the right way to go to create pgm metals. It is my understanding that what is left on the sides of the cupel wall can be pgm sponge.

Only one method of "cupelling" PGMs I encountered and it work relatively OK is alloying with plenty of silver and then performing cupellation. Just lead and PGMs create Pb/PGM alloy, which composition depends on the temperature of cupelling - as PGM´s have insanely high melting points compared to AuAg.
Diluting the melt with silver can lower the temperature required for cupelling out the lead. Then you dissolve the button in nitric acid, recover silver with HCl as silver chloride, and you are left with mainly Pd/trace Pt solution and insoluble PGM residue. You can directly cement PGMs from the solution with copper, and you recover relatively pure PGM precipitate.

For good pyrometallurgy on PGMs, you need to get to very high temperatures. On amateur scale, it is relatively hard to do in bigger volumes. Most of the catalysts are difficult to liquify matrixes, composing of zirconia and alumina etc. Special ceramics in MLCCs do not simplify it either. It sounds insane, but our best recoveries on MLCCs (old) were performed, when silica was used as flux - making eutectic with titanium ceramics. Induction furnance, magnesia layered graphite, 1600+°C. Compared to Na2CO3/cryolite flux, yield was 20% better.

PGM recovery is hard. Not speaking about refining them. Not science, but much more of an art

 

[CO-WYO-Peter]

Thanks Orvi,

A lot to learn for certain when it comes to the pgms. I have all the evidence that they are there in my concentrate. I just want to realize the metal with my own procedures.

 

[JonnaGr]

CO-WYO-Peter, why do you want to cupel it? Once you have made the metallic sponge, it is metal and can be sold to any major refiner as is, don't complicate it. They are going to dissolve it and re-refine it, why make a problem toward your sale?

Hello!
Which refineries do you recommend for sale? On low scales, for example 10-20kg with 10% pgms