Interesting Question

[Meh1]

Perhaps this question has been answered in a previous post/tutorial..and I apologize if it has..Ive been doing research for quite awhile..and im wondering if there is a way to recover platinum and silver when recovering gold. Sorry if this was already answered thanks for your time. :shock:

 

[NobleMetalWorks]

There are so many different recovery methods, and so many different types of materials, both recycled and ore that your question cannot be answered simply unless it's just to answer yes, you can recover all of them at the same time, and in some cases separately dependent upon the material and process used to recover.

Then there is refining, and working each metal out of solution logically.

You should read C. M. Hoke Refining Precious Metal Wastes

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2815953/Refining-Precious-Metal-Wastes-C-M-Hoke

Scott

 

[Meh1]

Thanks Ill check out the link.

 

[Meh1]

It would seem that nothing that is worthwhile is easy..I have alot to learn..ill keeping reading the old posts before I waste anyones time..again thanks for the link..that book is AMAZING.. :lol:

 

[NobleMetalWorks]

It would seem that nothing that is worthwhile is easy..I have alot to learn..ill keeping reading the old posts before I waste anyones time..again thanks for the link..that book is AMAZING.. :lol:

Awesome!

Too many people do not read that particular book before requesting help, and it makes it exceedingly difficult to follow what they are attempting to describe and ask help on. If you notice everyone mentions that book. Reading it will, as Harold might say, "serve you well".

Scott

 

[Harold_V]

you can recover all of them at the same time, and in some cases separately dependent upon the material and process used to recover.

That's not quite true. Silver and gold are never in solution with one another at the same time* (in acid), so silver is generally dealt with as a primary operation. That is not true of cyanide, but then the platinum metals aren't dissolved by cyanide, so they can't be recovered in a single operation, either.

Smelting will combine all of them, but that's applied to ores, not secondary metals. Melting of secondary metals can combine them, but no single process can separate them.

*It is well known that miniscule traces of silver will be found in solution in aqua regia, but the vast majority of silver that may already be in solution (as silver nitrate) will be precipitated as silver chloride when AR is introduced.


Harold

 

[NobleMetalWorks]

you can recover all of them at the same time, and in some cases separately dependent upon the material and process used to recover.

That's not quite true. Silver and gold are never in solution with one another at the same time* (in acid), so silver is generally dealt with as a primary operation. That is not true of cyanide, but then the platinum metals aren't dissolved by cyanide, so they can't be recovered in a single operation, either.

Smelting will combine all of them, but that's applied to ores, not secondary metals. Melting of secondary metals can combine them, but no single process can separate them.

*It is well known that miniscule traces of silver will be found in solution in aqua regia, but the vast majority of silver that may already be in solution (as silver nitrate) will be precipitated as silver chloride when AR is introduced.


Harold

I apologize for how I made that sound. And here I am talking about being clear so others can understand. I meant, for example, during a recovery process from start to finish, being able to process all the PMs. For example, nitric bath will hopefully take into solution silver, and maybe Pd. Then the next step might take the others into solution with maybe the exception of Rh, and maybe not Pt if it isn't given the temperature or time to dissolve. I didn't mean what I said to sound like you can have all things in solution at the same time, but that all could be recovered in the recovery process, at the same time.

I try to use AR only for refining, and I tend to think of AR in my own mind more that way, rather than to be used as a recovery method. I also tend to think of the way I apply different acids at different points, my recovery process.

Thank you Harold for correcting me and making it more clear.

Scott