Smelting

[Lou]

Tantalum is very easily oxidized.

Usually it accompanies any base soluble materials in basic slags as a tantalate.


Lou

 

[Shark]

I miss Frank!

I know the feeling to well.

 

[rickzeien]

"Poor sorting results in smelting lower grades of copper with metals like lead which are a nuisance metal in the copper refining process and they are a reason copper smelters will charge you extra when these metals are in the mix.

So assuming we all have the sorting process down pat, we end up with boards and components which we need to burn."

Is there a thread that outlines best practices for sorting PCB to prep for copper smelting and other recovery processes?

Thanks

Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk

 

[snoman701]

Is there a thread that outlines best practices for sorting PCB to prep for copper smelting and other recovery processes?

There's lots of them. But you have to read the forum pretty deeply.

Lead is the least of your concerns if you think burning boards / smelting is a process you can take on easily.

 

[rickzeien]

Is there a thread that outlines best practices for sorting PCB to prep for copper smelting and other recovery processes?

There's lots of them. But you have to read the forum pretty deeply.

Lead is the least of your concerns if you think burning boards / smelting is a process you can take on easily.

Thank you. Yes smelting is what I am plan to do.

Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk

 

[snoman701]

Put a physical board in front of you.

Remove all of the parts off the board.

Now you've got a board and all the parts.

Sort them into like piles.

Weigh them all individually.

Using numbers you find on the forum, determine the individual values of each part in copper and precious metal content.

Now, it's going to cost you AT LEAST 1 dollar a pound to realize the value within each pile. So if that pile is worth LESS than 1 dollar a pound, you don't want anything to do with processing it and need to find a buyer as is.

Following that, it's a matter of adjusting the x, in "x" dollar a pound so that you are getting paid appropriately for your labor.

 

[ashir]

depopulating boards and processing only IC's and mlcc's mix via smelting. what will be suitable process,
getring slime and process via nitric,
use silver as collecter and run in silver cell
use copper as collecter and run a copper cell?

 

[gaurav_347]

Hello,

Hey guys I need you help on another smelting matter. I have a few questions that I need answers to. I have read various threads regarding this topic but I am a little confused.

So we have been recovering gold from Ic and chips with lead being a collector metal followed by cupellation. Over the past few years in this business we recovered quite a large amount of silver chloride. We were planning to smelt this and sell it. But I had a few questions before taking this step. We want to make some changes in our smelting operations. The questions are as follows.

1.Can this silver chloride be used as a collector metal as it is?

2. How much Agcl has to be added to the smelt for say one kg of Ic/chip Ash?

3.Will it be necessary to remove the magnetics/kovar from the Ash before smelting it?( we never do with our process)

4.Can the same silver dore be used in the next smelt to collect more precious metals//Can we re run the previous recovered dore in our next smelt?

(We are using pure lead ingots during our smelt along with soda ash, borax, fluorspar, lead oxide, sodium nitrate and a little flour. If we start using silver chloride will the flux recipe change apart from not using lead and lead oxide? We usually run the same lead Dore thrice to collect more precious metals during the next smelt.)

5. What will happen to the base metals during the smelt?

We want to stop using lead completely and shift to a safer option. Plus we can eliminate one step by using silver which is cupellation . We were also thinking about using copper but the acid waste will be huge. Since we already have some silver chloride with us why not bring it some use instead of selling it.

I would really appreciate It you guys can help me out.
Thanks and Regards,
Gaurav

 

[gaurav_347]

I have one more question how will tin/solder play a role in the above steps. Will it get oxidized into the slags or will be a part of silver dore. If so then won't it create problems during nitric leaching?

 

[butcher]

I believe the use of silver chloride would prove to be a problem, silver chloride is hard to convert to silver in a melt, needing a strong reducing flux high in sodium carbonate.

It would be easier if you at least converted the silver chloride to silver oxide ...

Gold and silver are volatile as chlorides.

 

[gaurav_347]

I believe the use of silver chloride would prove to be a problem, silver chloride is hard to convert to silver in a melt, needing a strong reducing flux high in sodium carbonate.

It would be easier if you at least converted the silver chloride to silver oxide ...

Gold and silver are volatile as chlorides.

Thank you butcher. I will get the silver chloride converted into silver oxide first then try this out.

 

[ION 47]

Tell me, will an induction furnace with a graphite crucible melt a mixture of Ag2S and soda ash? I have the option to buy an "Indutherm MU 900" furnace, I want to melt the sulfurous silver to recover to pure Ag, but will it be possible in an induction furnace?

 

[modtheworld44]

ION 47


Yes it will work,but because it is silver sulphide you will need to put iron in the melt with the sodium carbonate.I speak from experience and not an educated guess.Thanks in advance.



modtheworld44

 

[Behnam2070]

If I pour gasoline on a board in a dish and match it, do they themselves turn to ashes or do I have to heat from below?

 

[FrugalRefiner]

Do NOT do that! You will create a lot of toxic gasses that can poison you and anyone down wind from you.

Dave

 

[ION 47]

ION 47


Yes it will work,but because it is silver sulphide you will need to put iron in the melt with the sodium carbonate.I speak from experience and not an educated guess.Thanks in advance.



modtheworld44

Thanks for the answer! My doubt was that silver sulfide has an amorphous fraction, which would be a difficulty for Foucault currents to occur. I will try on Your recommendations.

 

[Nountaineer]

Just a clarification calcium fluoride or calcium fluorite? Am having trouble where to buy these please

I just ordered 2.5 pounds through Amazon for about $160 shipped. Calcium fluoride also called fluorite.

 

[4metals]

$160 US dollars!!!! I think you’ve been hosed. I thought this was expensive from ebay

 

[snoman701]

You are paying for the shipping for 5 lbs, and the labor to bag it. You get the fluorspar for free.

 

[Nountaineer]

Live and learn. I found 78 pounds for $325 but can't buy large quantities. Can you tell me how to use it?