Laptop touch pad Boards and Keyboard traces

[aferland66]

hello again, I have a few laptop touch pad boards and some tablet boards that have a lot of gold plating. I'm wondering if I should just AP the entire boards? or is it better to cut all the gold plating off the boards to try and bring as little base metals as possible?

Also, does anybody know what the trace is on the keyboard plastic sheets, it's a whitish trace?

 

[Golddigger76]

That is what is referred to as mylars and generally the traces are silver.

 

[stella polaris]

When you have a couple of kilos you can start thinking about starting to work on it. A few mylars can be used for experiment to learn.

 

[kurtak]

I have a few laptop touch pad boards and some tablet boards that have a lot of gold plating

The gold plating on laptop touch pads is VERY THIN plating - the plating is so thin it's more like dust then foils once relieved from the boards so it takes A LOT of them to get even a gram of gold

Just so you know - if you only have a few of them don't expect much

The one & only time I processed them I had a couple pounds of them & got so little gold I will never process them again - IMO not worth the acid & waste you create to recover a very small amount of gold

That of course is just my opinion - I just know that I will NEVER again waste my time with them

Kurt

 

[kurtak]

To better clarify what I posted yesterday -----------

https://goldrefiningforum.com/threads/to-bad-to-recover-to-good-to-throw-away.33750/
Kurt

 

[Alondro]

The gold plating on laptop touch pads is VERY THIN plating - the plating is so thin it's more like dust then foils once relieved from the boards so it takes A LOT of them to get even a gram of gold

Just so you know - if you only have a few of them don't expect much

The one & only time I processed them I had a couple pounds of them & got so little gold I will never process them again - IMO not worth the acid & waste you create to recover a very small amount of gold

That of course is just my opinion - I just know that I will NEVER again waste my time with them

Kurt

Yeah, I have half a dozen of them too. My plan is to incinerate them along with thousands of other little plated parts that have plastic too difficult to remove by hand. Then process the ashes.

Or maybe go full smelt with the ashes and perform electrolysis on the poured bar which results. It'll have plenty of copper for the collector metal.

 

[Yggdrasil]

Yeah, I have half a dozen of them too. My plan is to incinerate them along with thousands of other little plated parts that have plastic too difficult to remove by hand. Then process the ashes.

Or maybe go full smelt with the ashes and perform electrolysis on the poured bar which results. It'll have plenty of copper for the collector metal.

After pyrolizing right?

 

[Alondro]

After pyrolizing right?

With the wide-diameter cast iron pipe I have, I can go to straight incineration in the furnace I've built when processing certain parts with only thin or soft plastics. I tested the process with some aluminum canister capacitors (which have a ton of plastic and paper in them). Sure enough, total incineration took place. The gasses burned like a blowtorch with almost no smoke. The furnace aerates very well and totally destroys all carbon-based materials.

Basically, I built myself a mini-blast furnace!

I need to make a few modifications now, including adding a catchment on the bottom of the pipe to easily recover the ashes. This first test was just too see if the one-step incineration worked.

Now, this probably will only work for relatively small loads of material, say a couple pounds. If I do larger amounts (and chips, since they have such dense hard plastic) then pyrolizing will need to be done first.

 

[aferland66]

Could someone point me to a pyrolizing setup? I've read that it's incineration without oxygen, but still don't get the setup.

 

[Yggdrasil]

Could someone point me to a pyrolizing setup? I've read that it's incineration without oxygen, but still don't get the setup.

There are loads of threads on this topic in the forum.
The clue is the heat the items so all volatiles evaporate and are lead into the hottest part of the flame through a pipe.
This way the gases will have enough retention time and heat to properly decompose and burn.
Some leads it through a water trap to separate the liquid phases first.

Anyway there are pictures and drawings in the forum, just search Pyrolyzing.

 

[Golddigger76]

It works very similar to a alcohol still but instead of the alcohol turning into a vapor and then being condensed It's the plastic or petroleum products that reach their boiling point and flash point, their vapor goes through a tube leading out of the top of the vessel and into the fire that is heating it.
Or also similar to a retort

 

[aferland66]

There are loads of threads on this topic in the forum.
The clue is the heat the items so all volatiles evaporate and are lead into the hottest part of the flame through a pipe.
This way the gases will have enough retention time and heat to properly decompose and burn.
Some leads it through a water trap to separate the liquid phases first.

Anyway there are pictures and drawings in the forum, just search Pyrolyzing.

I don't want you to think that I'm the type of guy who does not research, BUT this site has a lot of posts and the search issue will return multiple parts of the same messages. In most cases I'm reading people with the same questions getting the same answers, go search. It would be nice if the site had a research section highlighting the best answers to the more common questions.

From what I'm getting, you would burn the material in a container with an exhaust tube, and pipe that exhaust back into the hottest part of the burner.

Some people have brought up the idea I had of piping the gases into water (or other liquids) to reabsorb the harmful gases. Anybody know of a rig design that has that?

 

[Shark]

From what I'm getting, you would burn the material in a container with an exhaust tube, and pipe that exhaust back into the hottest part of the burner.

It really is that simple.

I knew one person would put IC’s in a can and turn it upside down in a large metal pan. Put charcoal and wood around the can and light it. As it heated the gas would escape under the can and be ignited by the fire around the can. It actually worked pretty well.

 

[Golddigger76]

From what I'm getting, you would burn the material in a container with an exhaust tube, and pipe that exhaust back into the hottest part of the burner.

Some people have brought up the idea I had of piping the gases into water (or other liquids) to reabsorb the harmful gases. Anybody know of a rig design that has that?

That is basically how it works, as far as running it through water I believe that is to recover the petroleum oils that can be used for other purposes like further refining into diesel fuel.

I think that if you're not set up to make the waste oils into a usable product you will only end up with a lot of waste to get rid of.

Also if you have the outlet tube in the water the vessel can create a vacuum when there's temperature fluctuations and it will suck up the water into the reaction chamber and cause a explosion.

Burning the gas eliminates the amount of waste and the risk of explosion.

 

[Golddigger76]

It really is that simple.

I knew one person would put IC’s in a can and turn it upside down in a large metal pan. Put charcoal and wood around the can and light it. As it heated the gas would escape under the can and be ignited by the fire around the can. It actually worked pretty well.

Off topic but I have done the same thing except the upside down can was a metal 5 gallon bucket with a lid that was packed full of mesquite wood.
The end product is charcoal for my barbecue..

 

[Yggdrasil]

I don't want you to think that I'm the type of guy who does not research, BUT this site has a lot of posts and the search issue will return multiple parts of the same messages. In most cases I'm reading people with the same questions getting the same answers, go search. It would be nice if the site had a research section highlighting the best answers to the more common questions.

From what I'm getting, you would burn the material in a container with an exhaust tube, and pipe that exhaust back into the hottest part of the burner.

Some people have brought up the idea I had of piping the gases into water (or other liquids) to reabsorb the harmful gases. Anybody know of a rig design that has that?

I did a short search on Pyrolysis reactor and among others this came up:
https://goldrefiningforum.com/threads/small-scale-pyrolysis-reactor.31029/post-325745
You definitely need to learn how to search the forum.

 

[aferland66]

Off topic but I have done the same thing except the upside down can was a metal 5 gallon bucket with a lid that was packed full of mesquite wood.
The end product is charcoal for my barbecue..

What is the temp that is needed to get the IC's to pyrolyze but the metals to stay solid? If I could do this with an upside down can or crucible that would be real easy to do.

I'm thinking an upside down smaller crucible in a larger crucible with the flame being sent in between the 2. Any gases exiting from the bottom of the small crucible would get burnt by the flame? I'm just unsure what temp would do this without melting everything and sealing the bottom of the small crucible.

 

[Golddigger76]

I don't know the answer to that but I build a small fire with wood, about the size that I would use as a camp fire and once the wood is burning good I put the metal 5 gallon bucket on the fire and leave it until the fire burns itself out.
I have never melted any metal components doing it this way.

The metal can has a few small holes drilled in the bottom, I put the ic chips in a metal coffee can, place it inside of the bucket and put the lid on and set it directly on the fire.
I use the same method for the plastic connectors and slots that have gold plated pins and it works very good for getting rid of the plastic.

 

[kurtak]

What is the temp that is needed to get the IC's to pyrolyze but the metals to stay solid? If I could do this with an upside down can or crucible that would be real easy to do.

For the backyard refiner the very best way to pyrolyze IC chips is to do it in a gas fired smelting furnace

That is because doing it by any other method you do not burn up all the toxic gases produced in pyrolysis

Even if "other" methods produce no smoke - it does not mean that all the toxic gases are being destroyed (burned up)

Little or no smoke only means most of the hydrocarbons are being burned up - but - it does not mean the other toxic gases produced in pyrolysis are being destroyed - they are not

The toxic gases I am talking about are the dioxins & furans produced in the pyrolysis of epoxy IC chips

To destroy those toxic gases during pyrolysis you need 4 thing to take place --- temperature - retention time - oxygen mixing & turbulence

With other (backyard) methods you may get the temp & retention time (which is why you see little or no smoke as the hydrocarbons are burned up) but you likely wont get the proper oxygen mixing & turbulence to destroy the dioxins & furans --- also - the oxygen mixing & turbulence works at destroying most all of the acidic fumes produced during pyrolysis (fumes being different the gases)

In other words - burning up the hydrocarbons (the smoke) is not the only concern in the process of pyrolysis

With a gas fired furnace the furnace provides all 4 of elements needed for good destruction of not just the hydrocarbons - but - the gases & fumes as well

For more about this read what I posted in these threads ---------

https://goldrefiningforum.com/threads/what-about-beryllium-in-ic-chips.27671/page-2
https://goldrefiningforum.com/threa...s-from-carbon-and-organics.28551/#post-301413
In this thread I have posted pictures of me using my furnace to pyrolyze chips -----------

https://goldrefiningforum.com/threads/pyrolysis-reactor.22581/
For what it is worth - I used to process a batch of 40 - 60 pounds of chips per month (so plus/minus 600 pounds a year)

So I have posted a great deal of info on processing IC chips (as have others) so if you want to take a "deep dive" into the process(es) here is a link to more info using incineration as a search word with my user name (kurtak) for the search

https://goldrefiningforum.com/search/81635/?q=incineration&c[users]=kurtak&o=relevance
That should keep you busy reading for awhile - if you really want to learn about processing IC chips

LOTS of very good info posted not only by me - but - by others as well

Kurt

 

[aferland66]

For the backyard refiner the very best way to pyrolyze IC chips is to do it in a gas fired smelting furnace

That is because doing it by any other method you do not burn up all the toxic gases produced in pyrolysis

Even if "other" methods produce no smoke - it does not mean that all the toxic gases are being destroyed (burned up)

Little or no smoke only means most of the hydrocarbons are being burned up - but - it does not mean the other toxic gases produced in pyrolysis are being destroyed - they are not

The toxic gases I am talking about are the dioxins & furans produced in the pyrolysis of epoxy IC chips

To destroy those toxic gases during pyrolysis you need 4 thing to take place --- temperature - retention time - oxygen mixing & turbulence

With other (backyard) methods you may get the temp & retention time (which is why you see little or no smoke as the hydrocarbons are burned up) but you likely wont get the proper oxygen mixing & turbulence to destroy the dioxins & furans --- also - the oxygen mixing & turbulence works at destroying most all of the acidic fumes produced during pyrolysis (fumes being different the gases)

In other words - burning up the hydrocarbons (the smoke) is not the only concern in the process of pyrolysis

With a gas fired furnace the furnace provides all 4 of elements needed for good destruction of not just the hydrocarbons - but - the gases & fumes as well

For more about this read what I posted in these threads ---------

https://goldrefiningforum.com/threads/what-about-beryllium-in-ic-chips.27671/page-2
https://goldrefiningforum.com/threa...s-from-carbon-and-organics.28551/#post-301413
In this thread I have posted pictures of me using my furnace to pyrolyze chips -----------

https://goldrefiningforum.com/threads/pyrolysis-reactor.22581/
For what it is worth - I used to process a batch of 40 - 60 pounds of chips per month (so plus/minus 600 pounds a year)

So I have posted a great deal of info on processing IC chips (as have others) so if you want to take a "deep dive" into the process(es) here is a link to more info using incineration as a search word with my user name (kurtak) for the search

https://goldrefiningforum.com/search/81635/?q=incineration&c[users]=kurtak&o=relevance
That should keep you busy reading for awhile - if you really want to learn about processing IC chips

LOTS of very good info posted not only by me - but - by others as well

Kurt

From what I'm seeing you just have them straight in your furnace? I will be using a gas furnace with an added air blower to the gas intake. Basically the same setup as Jason from Mount Baker Mining is using. I was going to off set my crucible to one side in the furnace to get the escaping gases to get blasted into the flame more.


What do others think of this setup?
https://goldrefiningforum.com/threads/pyrolysis-reactor.22581/post-237094