Higashi
Active member
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2010
- Messages
- 41
Hi guys...
This is my first post here and I'm a total noob in recovering and refining PGM from electronics...
I've read about 75% of Hoke's book....and have read thru quite a substantial portion of this forum for over a week or two now.
I don't have much problem understanding the chemical process for now (still reading and learning, not actually doing it yet).
English is also not my first language so bear with me if i'm unable to express my intentions/thoughts precisely.
my problem is about the recovery process.
a friend of mine has a lot of flexible conductors like those used in laptops and mobile phones, like almost a hundred kilogram of it, maybe more, which have the circuit track made out of gold (or at least partially).
i think it has quite a high percentage of gold because when he showed the sample to me i tried to scratched the tracks with my finger nail and it does get dented.
he asked me to do the recovering and refining as i'm his only friend that's technically inclined, as a return would split the profit with me.
i need to find a way to seperate the metal from the plastic film, at my friend's place, because :
1. my friend's place is a my hours away from me, it takes one day driving to get there.
2. my car don't have ample space to load such big boxes.
3. when it's time for refining, it will take a lot of acids to immerse just to get relatively small amount of metal apart from the plastics. i don't have big containers, or space for working with them.
4. it's hard to see if any metal left undisolved.
i need to do it preferably in a day, can't take many days leave from my job.
i considered burning them. what is the best way?
if the plastic film dissolves in petrol (not really that cheap but it's cheap enough here that i might consider it) like PET bottles, should i dissolve and burn? or just sift thru the gel and take the metal out? got to burn the gel anyway, can't just pour it off to the drain aite?
should i fry them in vegie oil? now this is quite costly...
torch it with butane torch? i readily got one.... will use oxy or built furnace for melting. don't think the fume will be brain and lung friendly as i will have to be close to the stuffs while doing it.
what should i do?
thanks.
sample of what it look like (but not the exact item) :
This is my first post here and I'm a total noob in recovering and refining PGM from electronics...
I've read about 75% of Hoke's book....and have read thru quite a substantial portion of this forum for over a week or two now.
I don't have much problem understanding the chemical process for now (still reading and learning, not actually doing it yet).
English is also not my first language so bear with me if i'm unable to express my intentions/thoughts precisely.
my problem is about the recovery process.
a friend of mine has a lot of flexible conductors like those used in laptops and mobile phones, like almost a hundred kilogram of it, maybe more, which have the circuit track made out of gold (or at least partially).
i think it has quite a high percentage of gold because when he showed the sample to me i tried to scratched the tracks with my finger nail and it does get dented.
he asked me to do the recovering and refining as i'm his only friend that's technically inclined, as a return would split the profit with me.
i need to find a way to seperate the metal from the plastic film, at my friend's place, because :
1. my friend's place is a my hours away from me, it takes one day driving to get there.
2. my car don't have ample space to load such big boxes.
3. when it's time for refining, it will take a lot of acids to immerse just to get relatively small amount of metal apart from the plastics. i don't have big containers, or space for working with them.
4. it's hard to see if any metal left undisolved.
i need to do it preferably in a day, can't take many days leave from my job.
i considered burning them. what is the best way?
if the plastic film dissolves in petrol (not really that cheap but it's cheap enough here that i might consider it) like PET bottles, should i dissolve and burn? or just sift thru the gel and take the metal out? got to burn the gel anyway, can't just pour it off to the drain aite?
should i fry them in vegie oil? now this is quite costly...
torch it with butane torch? i readily got one.... will use oxy or built furnace for melting. don't think the fume will be brain and lung friendly as i will have to be close to the stuffs while doing it.
what should i do?
thanks.
sample of what it look like (but not the exact item) :