gold extraction from fine carbon

[sohwohn]

If you have a problem burning that carbon, mix some sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate with it. Just try heating a small sample of your carbon, once it gets red hot you mix in a little sodium or potassium nitrate and you will see how fast that carbon burns. The nitrate salt gives a source of oxygen so that your carbon can easily burn off. By testing with a small amount you can get an idea of how much you will need to add for bigger volume. I've tried this method... works well
Just for precautions, you should assay that ash / carbon for mercury after retorting to make sure no more mercury is there.

This is genius! I'll definitely try this out soon..!

 

[sohwohn]

In Hoke's Book she speaks of recovering gold from high carbon material using litharge, the oxygen in the PbO combines with carbon forming CO2, and the lead collects the gold.

Wow! So PbO is reduced to Pb? Do I get a metal (Pb-alloy) bead from the ashes?

 

[PeterM]

Sir, your carbon could become soluable with Piranha Solution.


Use caution it's aggressive on dissolving carbon.

Good Luck

 

[butcher]

PeterM,
I have removed the links to the video, the risk to your safety could cost more than gold.

I do not trust luck with safety.

 

[baltyboweni]

Why don't you just burn and add aqua-regia?

 

[kumbirai.mhere]

Sir, your carbon could become soluable with Piranha Solution.


Use caution it's aggressive on dissolving carbon.

Good Luck

How would you recover gold then

 

[Yggdrasil]

How would you recover gold then

The accepted and most used procedure is ashing the carbon in furnaces at elevated temperatures over night.
Then leaching the ashes in you favorite leaching solution.

 

[kumbirai.mhere]

The accepted and most used procedure is ashing the carbon in furnaces at elevated temperatures over night.
Then leaching the ashes in you favorite leaching solution.

Which furnace can I use to ash carbon let's say 100kg at once?

 

[Yggdrasil]

Which furnace can I use to ash carbon let's say 100kg at once?

You need a furnace that can load separated trays and good ventilation and each tray no more than 2-3 cm deep.
It need to be ashed at 600 ish C over night or 8-10 hours.
There are procedures in here somewhere:
https://goldrefiningforum.com/threa...y-be-of-interest-to-members.22978/post-241077

 

[kumbirai.mhere]

You need a furnace that can load separated trays and good ventilation and each tray no more than 2-3 cm deep.
It need to be ashed at 600 ish C over night or 8-10 hours.
There are procedures in here somewhere:
https://goldrefiningforum.com/threa...y-be-of-interest-to-members.22978/post-241077

Thank you. I'm roasting mine on open air with firewood but it's tiresome and sometimes ashing won't be complete I will have to do wet sieving

 

[Yggdrasil]

Thank you. I'm roasting mine on open air with firewood but it's tiresome and sometimes ashing won't be complete I will have to do wet sieving

Wet ashing is not recommended, it is extremely dangerous.
So dangerous that no professional company are doing it.

 

[kumbirai.mhere]

It's actually wet sieving and not wet ashing. I am roasting carbon to ashes on open air and I sieve to remove residual carbon that's left

 

[Yggdrasil]

It's actually wet sieving and not wet ashing. I am roasting carbon to ashes on open air and I sieve to remove residual carbon that's left

Aah, that is another story