Orvi - could you provide a link to that video
I have a hard time believing you can dissolve ceramic with HCl
I have leached a lot of ceramics over the years (MLCCs, CATs, CPUs, ICs) & I have never seen HCl dissolve the ceramic - ever if very finely ground to powder
Are you sure he is not using HF (Hydrofluoric acid)
HF would certainly dissolve ceramic - especially if ground very fine
BUT - holy crap - what an extremely dangerous way to get rid of ceramic
HF is one (if not the) most dangerous acids on the planet
Kurt
I should say first that my previous post was maybe not clear enough, so I clarify what I wanted to say. Of course, you are right, not many ceramics can be dissolved in HCL.
In the video, Owltech disintegrated and eventually dissolved the ceramics from old MLCCs, but these are mainly barium titanate ceramics. Which disintegrate relatively easily in hot strong HCL solution. At least, barium is leached out as barium chloride (very nasty, but easily treated waste stream...) and rest of titanium oxohydroxide, which can be sometimes undissolved, is very porous and easily crushed even with glass rod directly in the beaker.
Also some types of modern MLCCs does disintegrate slowly in HCL, but I do not know precise compositions of these ceramics, as I didn´t work with them too often.
I mentioned it just as an option. I did performed several experiments with old types of MLCCs for the possibility of processing them by this wet route, but we sticked to the classic smelting due to hassle with lots of waste liquids and to the end - partial dissolution of PGMs from foils in large quantity of HCL (impractical). But I must admit, it is spectacular to watch how ceramic spreads out and leave the PGM foils/leafs in the acid
After sucessful dissolution of ceramics, all space in the liquid is occupied by foils. Replacing the leachate with fresh HCL, heating and addition of nitric - vigorous reaction (large surface area) and after two or so minutes, bloody red liquid appear... Never gets old
I will do this (altough not the most efficient process) from time to time on small batches just for my own "pleasure" to watch this
very colorful process. Leachate from ceramics is usually purple/blueish in colour (titanous chloride ? or PGM nanoparticles from dissolving solder... we do not precisely know), but when it is left exposed to the air, it will turn green due to dissolved copper from legs. Ceramics are milky white, and then AR dissolution of foils bloody red