Lead/silver dore refining.

[Arthur Brown]

Given a supply of a lead silver dore with some zinc. Is there an easy thermal means of turning the 10% silver into 90+% silver? I was initially thinking of heating with added zinc to get the silver into zinc solution I don't want to vapourise the zinc off as toxic fumes, Can I possibly cupel the zinc out into cement?

Is there a better way of separating the silver out of dore in 1 - 10 kilo batches. Given the location I could even consider a solar electrolysis method.

My desired product is silver at about sterling purity, and maybe some cheap lead.

 

[Lino1406]

A/P would turn mix to chlorides. Heating will dissolve lead chloride and leave solid AgCl. AgCl with NaOH will give meltable Ag2O

 

[snoman701]

Melt and add zinc. Spoon off the dross, mindful of the fumes. The silver is in the dross. Now melt the dross in a cupel and let remaining lead/zinc vaporize off or get adsorbed into the cupel.

Or google Parkes Process.

 

[Arthur Brown]

The way I've seen the parkes process demonstrated ended up losing the zinc as vapour which don't want to breathe.

 

[snoman701]

Melt it with borax. A majority of the zn will end up in the slags.