Precious metal refining refers to the separation of precious metals from materials containing noble metals. These materials are chemically called minerals or scrap.
The most precious metals include gold and silver. These two metals have a very strong position in the development of any nation. So, improvements in its refinement process are the topic that most interests alchemists and metal smiths.
Therefore, on a commercial scale, methods are employed that are economically manageable and have reduced chances of loss of precious metals during the refining process.
The commercial refining process is a multi-step process. The first and most important step is the receipt of the sample. The source of the sample is of vital importance. Many geologists predict the potential percentage of the precious metal in scrap. The sample from that location is delivered to the refining plants. When the sample is received at the refineries, it is weighed with the standardized calibrated balances.
Once received, the sample is prepared for further processing. Professionals examine the sample and prepare the best sample preparation process, based on the type of material received. Additional processing may include incineration, milling, screening, and smelting processes.
These processes provide initial information on the type and quantity of material required. This step is followed by melting the scrap in an induction electric furnace.
Molten samples are then taken in the vacuum glass tubes. After the melting process, the powder is mixed by using a rotary blender.
The treated material is then tested. This test determines the amount and type of material present. On the other hand, the removal of impurities continues along with the process. In this process, the material is oxidized to remove impurities such as copper, lead, and iron, in the form of their respective oxides.
It is then subjected to the traditional weighing procedure or mass spectrometry. It is the most recent and effective technique.
After spectrometry, the test data is entered into the computer network. The computer then calibrates the actual precious metal content present in the sample.
The next step is the isolation of the precious metals. To do this, several procedures are used. One of the procedures is pyrolysis. This process involves the solidification of impurities.
After this process, the required molten material can be separated. The solidified material is called slag. The other way is the oxidation of impurities. Refining can also be done with hydrolysis procedures.
This includes the addition of aqua regia. It is chemically composed of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid in a defined proportion. It has the ability to dissolve gold in it. The dissolved gold is then obtained by further processing.
The responsibility of commercial refineries does not end here. After the extraction of a particular metal, the excess material undergoes a further refining process. In such steps, the non-precious metals are generally obtained. Therefore, nothing or very less material ends up in landfills.
You can buy gold for future investments as the demand for gold increases day by day.
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