no luck searching dissolve lead with fertilizer

[924T]

This seems to be my week to strike out with search terms.

I'm absolutely certain I stumbled across a post last year about dissolving lead using a solution of 16-0-0
fertilizer, and I want to read it again, especially to fine out what you would use to precipitate the Pb
out of solution.

I'm in farm country, so acquiring fertilizer is not a problem.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[NobleMetalWorks]

What are used as fertilizer, commercially.

Only two things I can think of off the top of my head, that are used in refining are Urea and Sodium Nitrate.

I don't think Urea was used, but there are several examples of Sodium Nitrate being used to refine lead.

I think you are going to want to look up patents on Sodium Nitrate being used in different processes to refine lead.

But there are much easier ways to refine lead than those processes, and would probably be more cost effective, you might want to look into those methods first. Using the forum search function will reward you with all kinds of information on how to refine lead.

Scott

 

[chlaurite]

Fertilizer uses N-P-K numbering, so the first part of that refers to nitrate (usually potassium, but for 0 on the "K" number, more likely sodium or ammonium).

Pb(NO₃)₂ counts as one of the (fortunately!) few water-soluble lead compounds - Though incidentally, so too does lead acetate (as in, acetic acid). But I wouldn't expect lead to react directly with NaNO₃, so I suspect you've forgotten something very important in that reaction - Probably a strong acid like HCl... In which case, realize that you no longer have a nice safe over-the-counter fertilizer, but rather, an even-poorer-man's AR.

 

[Westerngs]

To precipitate lead out of solution, add small amount of sulfuric acid, it will precipitate the lead out as lead sulfate.

 

[924T]

Westerngs,

Wow-----that's the same, adding H2SO4, as if the lead was dissolved by HCl.

Would the fertilizer solution be reusable after adding the Sulphuric, or is it a single use process?

Also, other than neutralizing the Sulphuric once the Lead Sulphide (?) had dropped out of solution, would
there be anything else to do to then be able to safely dispose of the fertilizer solution?

Many thanks,

Cheers,

Mike

 

[924T]

NobleMetalWorks,

Thanks for commenting!

I'm basically looking to just remove Lead from circuit boards, rather than to refine it.

I know that can be done with HCl, but the fertilizer method should be more cost effective, if
what I originally read was correct.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[NobleMetalWorks]

It's really easy to precipitate Pb out of an Aqua Regia solution using a few drops of sulfuric acid, it will precipitate the Pb as an insoluble sulfate which can then be filtered prior to precipitating Au.

Scott

 

[924T]

NobleMetalWorks,

So, would the H2SO4 precipitation method also work with the fertilizer solution?

Many thanks,

Cheers,

Mike

 

[bee]

yes ofcourse