What method should I use ?

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alexxx

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
336
Location
Montreal / Quebec / Canada
Hi everyone, this is my very first post on this forum. I'm sure I will learn a lot here and find many answers.
I'm trying to figure out the best way to process my source materials.

I have about 500 pounds or crushed / granulated motor boards, hard drives, keyboards, ram and pci cards. (the material I need to process now looks like sand or a bit bigger).
I know, It's all mixed up and it may be harder/longer and more expensive to process...
This material now contains plastic, aluminium, copper, silver, palladium, gold of course etc...
I have not done any kind of manipulation with the rough material just yet...

now, what would be the steps in order to maximize the recovery of precious metals since I would like to recover all types of precious metals separatly ?

I would like to use this batch mainly to learn the process, I'm not expecting any profit out of it... I just want to figure out the best techniques in order to repeat it again and again to obtain pure gold, silver, platinum, paladium, etc...

regards,

Alexxx
 
I would suggest that the first step is to float off any plastics, and other gangue. I suspect that the aluminum from the HDs and Iron will cause troubles. Panning for the gold may be an option... Others, more experienced than me, will be along in a while with other suggestions but I'll bet dollars to donuts that they will suggest reading Holk.

Robert
 
i would do as much mechanical seperation as possible first. i would do a magnetic seperation first while dry. then i would use muriatic acid wash to remove tin and aluminum and then incinerate whats left. follow with either a nitric wash to remove copper and silver or some version of AP to just remove the copper and then refine whats left.
 
500 pounds (226.8 thousand grams), of what sounds like crushed almost whole computers?
I say sell it to a recycler, and find some better scrap.
How much money and time do you want to spend to find out how little of value you will get from this?
I agree with Geo, mechanical separation, but then sell the rest or give it away.
I would not want to spend the money on all of that acid and then deal with all that waste.
Let the recycler reclaim the aluminum copper and other metals.

Mix this well take some samples and get it assayed, yes it will cost some money, but it may also save you from going broke on this idea, then if you still think it would be worth going further, process one pound, see how much time and cost you have invested and how much you recover.

Call me a skeptic but I do not think I would try and tackle this one; I would look for an easier mining site.
Like 1000 pounds of whole computers somebody needs to trash, part them out and sell the scrap metals and cherry pick parts for your recovery processing.
:arrow: :?:
 
Alexxx, Do you know exactly what went into the grinder? was it infact the whole computer? case and all? and any other electronic stuff that people brought to the grinder?
If it was the whole computer, like Butcher thought, then I'm with him. there Will be too much crap. Considering the amount of crap we have to remove even after cherry picking the good parts, you will likely be wasting your time unless you have a large processing facility.

-Zenophryk
 
first, thanks to all for your replys, its much appreciated

zenophryk said:
Alexxx, Do you know exactly what went into the grinder? was it infact the whole computer? case and all? and any other electronic stuff that people brought to the grinder?
If it was the whole computer, like Butcher thought, then I'm with him. there Will be too much crap. Considering the amount of crap we have to remove even after cherry picking the good parts, you will likely be wasting your time unless you have a large processing facility.

-Zenophryk
Click to expand...

It was not whole computers, something like 80% motor boards, 10% various PCI cards & ram, 10% hard drives
 
If mostly just circuit boards, and a few hardrives, (hopefully just platters and not the cases).

Much of this really depends on what these consist of.
(Good info given gets better answers).

(Were these whole hardrives or just the platters this would make a big difference)
Mechanical separation.

How I would consider processing, (again depending on aluminum content)
Incinerate using pyrolisis (or after burner) crush again.
This is where you will need proper setup so you do not poison your self your neighbors or for you go to jail for causing pollution.

If high in aluminum content, try a dilute weak acid to (H2SO4) or other acid to remove aluminum and some other base metals. (Aluminum in HCl is slimy, not as soluble as sulfuric) (Vinegar may also dissolve aluminum I think).

Nitric acid treatments to remove silver, palladium Oxide, and the base metals (recover Ag, Pd later).(Cu also)

Aqua Regia to recover gold and PGM,

If you can find a market for copper powders these can also be recovered easily.

(Good info given gets better answers). Give us all the known details when asking a question; these small details may determine how the question is answered


Make tests of small batches to determine best method (there are several ways to approach a problem some ways better than others and which acid or method is available will also add to bottom line.
 
butcher said:
If mostly just circuit boards, and a few hardrives, (hopefully just platters and not the cases).
Click to expand...

I have a small batch containing the whole hard drives, including the cases.
The bigger part of the material doesn't include the cases.

I guess it would be easier starting to process the lot without the crushed drive cases.

thanks to everyone for the replies posted so far

Alexxx
 
Large amounts of tin and solder must also be dealt with.
And glass with ash if incinerated.
Tin makes slime in nitric, so this combination should be avoided.
Aluminum and tin can give trouble in HCl (depending on how much is involved),
Incineration can help some when trying to dissolve tin or aluminum in HCl solutions,

If incinerating do not breath any fumes or allow these to escape into your air, (without proper after burner, or completely destroying the deadly fumes, gases, acids, resins, soot’s, and metals (you could poison yourself or poison the area you where burn, poisons in the smoke, fumes, and soot if not properly incinerated in air or settling around you when wet in rain may create a poison that may slowly kill you or poison your water source.
Tin makes slime in nitric, so this combination should be avoided.

If you cannot incinerate this proper pay someone with afterburner to process them for you, you do not want to kill yourself or others for a little bit of metals.
 
I have to say I agree with Butcher 100% about trying to incinerate this material without the use of proper precautions and environmental controls.
This material is not one for the home refiner plain and simple and I would guess many professional refiners would also refuse to actually refine it, it's a nightmare with a mix of metals and various other materials to cause constant problems to even recover some of the values.
The material is what the major e scrap recovery companies deal with and in their case this would be melted/ smelted in huge furnaces with all the needed afterburners and controls in place and the bars produced would be assayed and sent to the copper refiners where the values would eventually be recovered from the slimes.
If memory serves me correctly 4metals described this process in full and excellently in a thread to show how to get a decent result from e scrap and stop the seller been ripped off completely.
 
I wouldn't touch it with someone elses ten foot pole, especially if I had never done anything like even the easy (pins) stuff. Take it to a refinery. Your at what I call the bare minimum in pounds to be taken in to make it worth while.
 
I'm a bit afraid of incineration, health risks and pollution.
I think I will probably ship the material to xstrata here in Quebec province when I get more quantity available.

if anyone is able to process safely the said materials, hit me up.

thanks to all for the replies once again.

cheers,

Alex
 
I don't know what you can do with 500 pounds of mystery e-scrap. It would be best if you contacted the scrap yard you intend to deal with and find out for certain the form they prefer to buy this material in. I expect they will want the material in a form they can grade properly, as in whole.
 
this is just an idea, maybe you can send a sample of what you have to boardsort and let them give you a price as is. its worth a chance and you may be surprised, maybe pleasantly surprised.
 

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