Spent acid Waste

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gorillastomp

New member
Joined
Feb 3, 2011
Messages
4
Hello,
I am new to the forum. I am in no way a chemist nor pretend to be one. However I have a friend that has several 55 gal drums of spent acid that he wants to get rid of. He uses Aqua regia and sodium nitrate on a hot plate to make strong acid . This brings scrap jewelry down to a solution then pours it through filter paper. He brings down the gold with a chemical (I can not remember the name of). Then puts the spent acid to the side in these drums.

I was told by him that there are still a lot of precious metals in the solution however he is just after the gold. He told me what ever I can get out of it I can have.

I was wondering what steps and chemicals are involved.
 
You could have 1000's and 1000's of dollars worth of silver and palladium and other precious metals there,not to mention the copper.
I strongly suggest you take some time and do a lot of reading.ALl of teh information you need to know is here on the forum already.I do not deal with anything other than gold and silver at the present time,however I promise you all of the answers are here.Just use the search window in the top right hand corner and start reading threads.You may also have some fortune trying to sell the drum just the way it is.Where are you located?
Oh and welcome to the forum.
 
gorillastomp said:
I was told by him that there are still a lot of precious metals in the solution however he is just after the gold. He told me what ever I can get out of it I can have.

I was wondering what steps and chemicals are involved.
Click to expand...

No offense, but it seems that you have very little to none knowledge about refining process, what brings you to that conclusion?
Are those chlorides solutions? nitrates maybe?

You will need to learn how to test those solutions before taking on a mission that may (or may not) prove to be unfruitful.

I would really suggest you to spend here a few more days in reading, get a sense of the different process and testing methods, it's all here for you. You can use the search field on the upper right corner.
 
It's entirely possible the left over AR solution contains some precious metals, but it's even more likely that his old filters contain the Silver and Rhodium, and some Gold as well. I would ask him about the left over solids.

Read the Guided Tour Link to get familiar with the terminology and reactions. You'll find information on AR and waste clean up and disposal.

Steve
 
True I have very little knowledge on refining I have watched my buddy for several month bring the gold down and poor his waste in drums and leave it sitting he first was planning to pay a guy to come in and haul the stuff off. So I started thinking there could be a lot of money here if I learn something about it. So I am very lost and really don't know where to start.
BTW I am located in Tennessee.
 
lazersteve said:
It's entirely possible the left over AR solution contains some precious metals, but it's even more likely that his old filters contain the Silver and Rhodium, and some Gold as well. I would ask him about the left over solids.

Read the Guided Tour Link to get familiar with the terminology and reactions. You'll find information on AR and waste clean up and disposal.

Steve
Click to expand...


He keeps all the solid and filters.
 
Recovering the left behind precious metals is the easy part. Properly treating the waste is the real issue. This forum does not condone improper treatment or dumping of wastes. Read up on the procedures and be smart.
 
4metals said:
Properly treating the waste is the real issue.
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The state of Tennessee is real big on Environmental management. That's why the guy is trying to give it to him. It's not for recovery, it's for disposal.
 
I agree with Ralph. Your friend doesn't sound like much of a friend it he wants to con you into taking all that waste. If there are values in it, why doesn't he process it? Rarely do people give away values. I probably wouldn't touch any of it with a 10 foot pole. There's plenty of other stuff out there, where you know what you're dealing with. If you're smart, you'll say thanks, but no thanks.
 
Erwin, the land of meth labs and nuclear fuel :lol: . I'm in Jonesborough, we only have the meth labs here.
 
I haven't been back to Erwin in a couple of years now. I only go to visit my parents grave. I grew up there as a kid and i love the area and the people. I hate to hear about the meth labs, it's about the same here in Alabama or nearly anywhere you go. :cry:

I know about the nuclear fuel very well. :twisted:
http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=1144&p=9494&hilit=erwin+tn#p9494
 
Barrenrealms lives not too far from you,and is very familiar with "correct" disposal of spent acids.And he can help you extract any values left behind in your drums.You may want to contact him and see if he wants to work something out.
 
Personally I think you guys are nuts getting involved with someones waste problem unless they can prove to you that they are EPA compliant. Then you need to be sure you are aware of the rules if you are going to deal with these quantities. Personally I would stay completely away from this guy and his waste. One 55 gallon drum of acid waste will put you over the weight limit of 100 kilos a month of a “Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator”.

Read up members! http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/generation/cesqg.htm
You will also need to read up on your state’s regulations, they may be stricter than the EPA minimum guidelines.
 
Oz said:
Personally I think you guys are nuts getting involved with someones waste problem unless they can prove to you that they are EPA compliant. Then you need to be sure you are aware of the rules if you are going to deal with these quantities. Personally I would stay completely away from this guy and his waste. One 55 gallon drum of acid waste will put you over the weight limit of 100 kilos a month of a “Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator”.

Read up members! http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/generation/cesqg.htm
You will also need to read up on your state’s regulations, they may be stricter than the EPA minimum guidelines.
Click to expand...

Thanks Oz, he hasn't contacted anyone as far as I know so my guess is he is going to try this on his own.
 

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