PGM's from CATs

[NobleMetalsRecovery]

I've Been away from the Forum for a long while and would like to know the current state of the art regarding getting the PGM's out of Cats. I did find this on the forum recently. It was posted on 5-20-08 by LaserSteve:

I use HCl-Cl plus heat. It's cheaper than AR and works just as well. As an
added advantage you don't have to boil off the nitric when you are done.
Remember add the clorox in very small does and give it plenty of time to
work.

A single honeycomb will fit in a regular coffee pot placed with the holes
up. Cover it with HCl and add 1/8 cup of clorox and begin heating. Every
thirty minutes add another 1/8 cup of clorox. Heat to 60C-100C.

Pour the clorox down into the holes of the honeycomb so the chlorine boils
thru the structure.

Heat for two to three hours using this process adding clorox every half
hour. The liquid level should never go below the top of the honeycomb.

Rinse the liquid out with several washes of water and precipitate as normal
for PGMs.

A second treatment may yield more PGMs.

Do this in a well ventilated area.

Is a DVD available yet, or any Posts on LaserSteve's website?

Thanks, Steve (of Noble Metals Recovery, LLC.)

 

[lazersteve]

Steve,

The DVD is in the final editing stages. I apologize for the extended delays, there are so many videos to edit down and my free time is very minimal.

The method you referenced is the way I currently extract the PGMs. I'm not 100% certain that I am getting all the Rh, but I will soon have access to a furnace and will be re-processing the left overs via sodium bisulfate fusion to see if I have any Rh still in them.

I have tested several other ways of wet extraction (60% H2SO4 and 0.1 M NaCl @ 135C and AR) and have had mixed results.

I'm very interested in trying my hand at the gas phase tube furnace extractions of the honeycombs, but I still need the required equipment to try this method out. It seems to be the most direct route by far. I have posted on this topic a few times with specific details (just search 'tube furnace' and you should find them). If you have trouble locating them let me know and I'll link you to them.

For crushed material and beads I use HCl-Cl in an empty muriatic acid jug. Put a small amount of your material in the jug (I use 1" deep in the bottom), add enough acid to cover it, and add a cap or two full of clorox once or twice a week. Cap the jug and keep it sealed while the reaction takes place (be careful not to over pressurize or you'll have a ruptured jug and chlorine gas and acid everywhere). I have been testing consecutively larger batches with this technique and it works, but is very slow. I set up several jugs and let them work for at least two weeks, adding clorox only when the jug draws in on itself (lower pressure). I shake the sealed jugs several times a day to keep the contents mixed.

Steve

 

[NobleMetalsRecovery]

Steve,

Thanks for the quick response. I'll check your other posts on the tube furnace. For now the method you outlined sounds great. I'm in no hurry so I don't mind it taking some time. Sounds great and simple.

Steve

 

[skippy]

Lazersteve, you say you're unsure you've got all the rhodium - so do you know yet if you've got all the palladium and platinum?

 

[lazersteve]

Skip,

After three soaks in HCl-Cl the honeycomb was treated with hot AR, only traces of additional Pt and Pd was obtained. I estimate 90-95% extraction of Pt and Pd with hot (40-60C) HCl-Cl soaking. Each soak is followed up with a good water rinse.

Steve

 

[ivanchrist]

I would like to try to fusion with NaHSO4 for my raw material for rhodium.(from black sand) but i dont know where to start.

I have passed the roasting 500oC for 4hours, the leaching with HF and then nitric acid, the Hot Aqua regia to dilute Au, Pt, Pd.

and now i get residue which positively contains Rhodium(and might also Os,Ir), rose red colour, using steve method to test rhodium.
I dilute the residue with sulfuric acid for 2-4hours, then adding lots of water before siphoning.
I precipitate the rhodium or everything using Tin. I get black powder.

how to deal with the black powder? or getting pure rhodium from the black powder?
i cant get any NaHSO4 in Indonesia. Is there any substitute chemical? or is it possible to make NaHSO4?

NaCL+H2SO4 = NaHSO4+HCL or
NaOH+H2SO4 = NaHSO4+NaCL (fom wikipedia)
sounds impossible..right? :?: