Science project: Recovering gold from SIM cards

[solar_plasma]

No, he has no clue about the "magic" of CuCl2-"kungfu", when he uses that much H2O2, he might even dissolve some gold and dispose it. This is like using a laser scalpel as a hammer.

AP=CuCl/CuCl2/HCl+O2-system is really interesting and can be used, but there is a little more to learn about it, than just using nitric instead. So, you're fine with nitric for this project.

So the process for the foils is the same. If you also want to incinerate the chips, you will need nitric for leaching basemetals and AR for the gold bondwires on them to work through the fine white ashes, which also can be gravity separated before leaching. But this is another story and link. Better have the focus on the easiest stuff now: plated fingers and traces.

 

[solar_plasma]

If you also want to process the chips, soak up this thread: http://goldrefiningforum.com/~goldrefi/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=11827
But only if you have the time after all the other reading stuff, which I do not expect you will have. This and the CuCl2 philosophy would triple the time needed.

With the limited time you need to focus and limit the number of processes needed - be effective. We will not make you become a refiner in this short time, but we can help you finishing a good solid project. And that is only possible because you have a good chemical background and because you obviously are listening and learn by yourself. Well done so far.

 

[g_axelsson]

That was way too much nitric in that movie also, mixing AR with a ratio of 1:1. I think he has learned all he know on youtube.
Way too many errors in that video to list them all.

Göran

 

[solar_plasma]

:shock: I didn't have the self-discipline to watch it to the end! His HCl/H2O2 has already been too much for my nerves.

 

[pattt]

Hi all,

Lesuth, that youtube video is so wrong,

I would use the hcl/peroxide way (but the way it should be done) and then I would go for the "hcl and sodium hypochlorite" way,
for foils thats strong enough and you don't need to evaporate the AR or worse use Urea yo get any excess Nitric acid out.
And finnish with Harold's washing method :!:

I don't like to refer to my own post,(I am just a beginner) but I think the picture in it shows that you can do a better and safer refining project by reading this forum and Hoke's book then following the wrong youtube videos

http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=18683&p=188464#p188464

I hope you're project will be a success

Pattt

 

[lesuth]

AP seems interesting, too bad i have exams for physical and analytical chemistry as well which limits my time for research I guess I'll stick with nitric.
Though all videos on youtube are with the AP method. By the way I probably will not incinerate the chips and the ram cuts because that would require to move to a different laboratory, would that be a problem if I don't do any preliminary treatments?( talking about the chip and ram fingers)

 

[solar_plasma]

Right so, don't let you confuse by the many ways it could be done. If there is time in the end, you can easiliy implement more.

The RAM do not need to be cut, you can also break off the gold fingers with pliers. A clean cut is to prefere ofcourse.

@all
folks, this man has only 2 weeks to finish the abstract, so don't confuse him, think twice, what advice you give! It is no hobby to him, but he will get examined on this. If he has tme left in the end, we still can help him learn the AP(CuCl2), which easily can be implemented. Dill. nitric is faster, simpler and for an experienced laborant not more dangerous, it is just a little more expensive and harder to obtain to many, but this is no criteria in an university lab.

 

[pattt]

Solar , Maybe you should read his post better ,

He said :

By the way I probably will not incinerate the chips and the ram cuts because that would require to move to a different laboratory

So He is talking about not incinerating the ram chips or cuts, (clean cut fingers)
and asks if the 'not incinerating' would be a problem.

this man has only 2 weeks to finish the abstract, so don't confuse him, think twice, what advice you give!

Greetings
Pattt

 

[g_axelsson]

Cut fingers from ram does NOT need to be incinerated.
Plastic IC:s MUST be incinerated to liberate the bond wires.

Do not mix up different processes, or you are sure to make a mess.

Göran

 

[solar_plasma]

Thank you Pattt and Göran, I had missunderstood him on that. Offcourse Göran ist right!

Still let us stay close to what he originally wanted and not offer him to many methods to choose from. He has not the time to make his own choice AP or nitric and AR or HCl/Cl. Most will use AP and the HCl/Cl, but this is not, because it is better in all cases. It's just the best choice in most individual cases.

 

[FrugalRefiner]

I'm going to agree with Björn on this. Lesuth is a student. Björn is a teacher. Let the man teach. If you see an error in what is said, as Pat and Göran did, feel free to point it out, but don't confuse our new member with talk of other methods.

This thread is also a perfect example of why members are so resistant to give quick answers to quick questions. What we do is complex. In just a single thread, we've managed to confuse a new member on which material to pursue, and the preferred methods to process it. What we do and how we do it depends on our own particular circumstances.

This situation was special. Lesuth didn't come here with a case of gold fever, proposing to dump his toxic waste down the drain. I commend every one who has tried to help. Every situation is different. He has limited time, but access to nitric and hydrochloric acid, a proper facility in which to do his work, and I assume, some degree of supervision in the lab.

I wish you luck lesuth.

Dave

 

[Asiacdurr]

I have about 3k of used SIM cards I could give you. Message me.

 

[lesuth]

Hello guys, I got my hands on some chips and ram, I cut the ram fingers like shown on the picture and they are ready to be processed. Wanted to ask you how do I prepare the chips? Do I try to just remove the needles or dump them whole ?(it would waste a lot of nitric acid if I do that tho).What are your thoughts on this?

 

[solar_plasma]

The CPU pins are made of kovar, which is slower to dissolve. Further you have to deal with tin first, it could make a metastannic acid mess with nitric. The problem is, each of them is normally processed in an other way. I would wait if other members will advise, if you should include the CPUs in your experiment at all.

The ceramics are the smaller problem. The black fiber makes problems since you cannot reach the copper traces in that epoxy, so your gold could cement on them and you will have losses. This one should absolutely not be part of your processes. The green fibers are extrem low grade, 100-200 make one gram gold, but the pins can be removed with heat. If you want to use the ceramics and the pins from green fiber, you need to leach tin first by HCl, then wash and incinnerate well to remove all chlorides(!), finally remove copper with nitric (if there are traces of chloride left, this will dissolve some gold also, which you don't want in this step.

[A possibillity is to go straight nitric, vacuum filter, dissolve metastannic in a strong NaOH soak, wash,filter and go on to AR. - if this is confusing, forget this sentence immediately.]

When only ceramic, silicium dies (which have to be fallen off the ceramic(!)) and gold is left, then you dissolve the gold. If you want, together with the foils from the PCI cards amd RAM fingers.

Sometimes some of us process different materials in some steps together, but then we know what we are doing and know how to deal with the disadvantages.

Anybody who chimes in, should have read the whole thread. This is not the usual youtube wannabe backyard refiner and this experiment is not done for any profit other than he has to get his examen. Think well, not to confuse him with to many processes.

Hope this helps!

 

[lanfear]

Just a small input. There is actually no need to treat the ceramics in nitric first. They can go straight to AR. Only the gold plated lids need to be removed and can be treated with nitric to get the gold of. And then dump the gold from the lids and the fingers in the AR with the ceramics.

Jon

Edit: gramar

 

[solar_plasma]

If you can avoid it, you don't want to dissolve gold along with basemetals.

And forget all about your last post, this is making a bad stock pot. Nothing is won. You skip one step and you add...I can't even count how many steps...5 at least. And you will have losses and other problems.

 

[solar_plasma]

Remember, we talk about some 0,1g of gold, not of kg. You have to work accurately or you will not get any gold, you will not even know, where it is gone. And if you recover half of it, you can't melt it, because half of it is copper and other garbage.

Many of us have started with those mistakes, but we had time to get back and read again. You don't have any time for playing. Doing it the most proper way, you can see your gold all the time, until nothig but gold and insoluble solids are left. Then, after dissolving, dillution, dropping lead and silver, settling and decanting you have a beautiful crystal clear yellow solution that is easy to test and fast to precipitate.

This precipitate will have a good quality after the washing and if everything has been done properly, you can melt it or redissolve it and drop by another precipitant or the same and wash again to get higher purity.

 

[lesuth]

So it will be a lot easier if i just removed the gold plated needles and dump them together with the RAM cuts in nitric acid , then go to AR and so on...

 

[solar_plasma]

Remove tin first, if you don't want to deal with metastannic sludge (see above).

The pins from the ceramics can not be removed by heat, as far as I know.

 

[Anonymous]

Bjorn if I may?

Part of the confusion that may arise from the advice being given with regards to the processors is that there are three distinct types of processor on that picture- each with a distinctly different process required to obtain the gold.

As has been suggested before I would agree with the advice to stick with the fingers and leave the processors out of it for the purposes of this report.

Unless of course you want to advise on the complete range of processes?

Jon