kadriver
Hazard to Others
Posts: 196
Registered: 7-11-2012
Location: United States
Member Is Offline
Mood: Thankful
|
|
Gold Recovery ten Pentium Pro with Sodium Chlorate - VIDEO
Here is a video that I produced showing how to recover gold from 10 Pentium Pro CPUs using sodium chlorate and HCl - NO NITRIC ACID:
https://youtu.be/wtJmnlIw-XI
kadriver
Youtube channel - sreetips
|
|
|
MrHomeScientist
International Hazard
Posts: 1806
Registered: 24-10-2010
Location: Flerovium
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Very nice video. That's a hell of a process! Requires a lot of time and HCl, and must produce an insane amount of fumes. I didn't realize copperas is
a name for iron sulfate; that's rather confusing. But many old names for chemicals are.
I also think it's funny that every step involves adding HCl. Have a problem? More HCl!  You must go through a LOT.
I'd like to hear some more explanation of why you are doing each step, and what the chemistry is. I think I get the gist, but it would help others
too. I.e. what happens when you add hydrogen peroxide, what's the purpose of the air bubbler, why do you add the specific amounts of each chemical you
use, etc. It just seems like the PGM recovery community is very tight-lipped about their processes for some reason, so it'd be nice to see some good,
usable info!
I also like how you have your channel name all over all your apparatus. Better than a watermark!
Finally, nice custom lab coat!
|
|
|
aga
Forum Drunkard
Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
I should hate it.
Once again sreetips flawlessly extracts shiny gold from scrap potato peelings, using just a teaspoon and a bit of acid, while i'm still dealing with
the waste products of a failed attempt almost 2 years later.
Yet again he very clearly shows a process with precision, detail, and roughly 100% Success !
(jealous)
To be fair to kadriver, he's never pretended to be a trained Chemist, despite having a lot of experience with precious metal extraction.
I posted on the video that the H2O2 lookes like it oxidised the greenish FeCl2 to FeCl3 and i suspect that
complexed/reacted with the Cu/Al/Ni etc, removing those 'base metals' from the mix, rather than the HCl and peroxide themselves.
That's just my Guess: bear i mind that i've No qualification nor formal education in Chemistry, so maybe a Proper Chemist would care to comment on
what is happening there.
|
|
|
NEMO-Chemistry
International Hazard
Posts: 1559
Registered: 29-5-2016
Location: UK
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
This really interest me, although from a different perspective. In the UK gold recovery small scale, if you can calls yours small scale! Is one the
few things you can get an EPP license for.
The downside being the temptation to use a few ml of it on other things, abuse of the license would just add to the difficulty getting one. But maybe
your UK contacts in the recovery Biz can advise better on that.
What I see is your really close to the holly grail of green recovery, but its a conflict of interest, you do things to make them cheaper, safer or
whatever. It isnt really in your interest to solely use a process that takes forever, not if you can do it quicker and easier with a slightly less
green route.
But like I say, considering the money going into research in this area, from what you post i would say your right up with the unis so far.
My question isnt exactly aimed at you, but I too am intrigued by the HCl. From a chemical perspective surely its just the Cl ions that do the work??
Could something even greener/safer than HCl be used instead? The rest of it is really nice chemistry.
Congratulations on the work your doing. It wasnt until 4 weeks or so ago, i found out exactly how big the amateur recovery market is in the UK!!.
There are so many Kadrivers in the UK, scattered all over the place apparently. If they are putting the same kind of effort in, then i think a process
that can be scaled up will come out.
I know industry is still using some harsh methods, but the move is towards cleaning the process up, hence the research and investment. You might not
be a chemist, but sharing what your doing is really generous. I am not surprised most are tight lipped, most will be aware just how much money is at
the end of that particular rainbow  .
BTW love your lab! Bucket (literally) chemistry at its finest.
|
|
|
MrHomeScientist
International Hazard
Posts: 1806
Registered: 24-10-2010
Location: Flerovium
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
There isn't any though, unless you have literal truckloads of scrap computer parts available for free. He said he bought the Pentiums for $186 (if I
remember right) and produced 3g of gold, currently worth $130.80. That's already a net loss, not even considering the liters and liters of HCl and
other chemicals, as well as the significant time investment, he put in.
I'm not saying don't try gold recovery if it interests you - I absolutely want to try it just for the experience and cool chemistry. I'm just saying
it's exceedingly unlikely anyone can make money doing it, so the secrecy surrounding it is strange to me.
|
|
|
aga
Forum Drunkard
Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
There isn't any secrecy around gold refining processes.
Gold trading, yes, but not the refining part.
Visit goldrefiningforum.com and you will find everything from straight C.M.Hoke acid methods, hypochlorite, chlorine, cyanide extractions + more.
All i can advise (from experience) is to follow a set process exactly as given.
I tried to get inventive - just made a lot more waste to deal with and resulted in less Shiny Metal.
Edit:
For those google-impaired, Hoke's work of genius can be downloaded here:
http://goldrefiningforum.com/~goldrefi/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?...
[Edited on 26-1-2018 by aga]
|
|
|
NEMO-Chemistry
International Hazard
Posts: 1559
Registered: 29-5-2016
Location: UK
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Quote: Originally posted by MrHomeScientist  |
There isn't any though, unless you have literal truckloads of scrap computer parts available for free. He said he bought the Pentiums for $186 (if I
remember right) and produced 3g of gold, currently worth $130.80. That's already a net loss, not even considering the liters and liters of HCl and
other chemicals, as well as the significant time investment, he put in.
I'm not saying don't try gold recovery if it interests you - I absolutely want to try it just for the experience and cool chemistry. I'm just saying
it's exceedingly unlikely anyone can make money doing it, so the secrecy surrounding it is strange to me. |
Sorry for the confusion!
I wasnt on about the gold, I was meaning the process. The Scottish Government and a number of Universities, are all researching green recycling
technology.
In Scotland this is called the zero waste strategy, the ambitious plan is to cut landfill by 90%.
They are giving huge amounts of money for green recycling methods, one the main target areas is precious metals from scrap. So the person who comes up
with a decent green way to recover them, and i guess more to the point... cut down on waste while not creating toxic soup, would be worth a fortune.
The one I mainly know about is Edinburgh University, they are actively seeking collaboration, the sting in the tail though..If your willing to make
the process open source, they will give you the lab to work in, you get to work with who you want as well.
Basically they pay for the research but at the end of it, you cant then slap on a patent. They have a huge amount of electronic waste apparently, and
someone there outside of chem department is also in on it.
No idea how much if any info is on the site, but for serious inquiries I have an email address. I know about all this as it has something to do with
one the uni's I was going to go too, also I know someone who is involved in it.
I dont remember all the target metals, but there is a list online (probably a scot gove list), that gives the list.
The funding comes from some EU pot or other. On the open day I attended, I went with a member of our councils energy resource team. Originally when i
was going to leave school, i signed up for the councils scholarship type program, i was excepted depending on reaching certain grades.
Unfortunately I didnt get the grades so didnt get the job or place at UNI. this was around the time I started begging to be taught lol.
At the open day we went too, i met one the guys who is head of this research.
The council guy I was with, its his (or rather was) his department that I would of worked in, waste comes under two departments in our council, waste
is one of them.
So the pot of gold is the process itself, i didnt mean the amount recovered. Also some the metals they want to recover are pretty rare, without the
list I cant remember, but i do remember thinking, good luck getting those out of electronic scrap.
Actually just found an article, i bet you go look up the paper, you will find part of the fish and chip process....bastards
https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2016/gold-from-phones-becomes-real...
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Environment/waste-and-pollution/W...
[Edited on 26-1-2018 by NEMO-Chemistry]
|
|
|
aga
Forum Drunkard
Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
A search on an obscure site called sciencemadness.org turns up some Green gold refining chemistry, also.
|
|
|
NEMO-Chemistry
International Hazard
Posts: 1559
Registered: 29-5-2016
Location: UK
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
| Quote: Originally posted by aga | | A search on an obscure site called sciencemadness.org turns up some Green gold refining chemistry, also. |
Yes it does, and as i mentioned i am betting that process is part of the process in the paper.
But gold isnt the only or main target metal, there is a whole list of them. They are driving at zero waste and maximum recovery.
Using as safe a process as they can.
At the moment you could argue that gold is sorted, so that leaves just another X amount of different metals to get out the soup and recover. Actually
from memory there were three or four that were really interested in, none of them were gold or platinum.
The point is, for the person who can get the most target metals out the scrap, using the greenest method, would make alot of money.
If said person was willing to have an entire lab at there disposal, but give up the idea of a patent and settle for open source, then I would contact
Edinburgh.
Considering what they were offering, i think there must be a really big pay off, personally I would rather not have the lab access, but then again
there is Green and then there is $GREEN lol
|
|
|
MrHomeScientist
International Hazard
Posts: 1806
Registered: 24-10-2010
Location: Flerovium
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Interesting, thanks for the clarification.
|
|
|
vmelkon
National Hazard
Posts: 669
Registered: 25-11-2011
Location: Canada
Member Is Offline
Mood: autoerotic asphyxiation
|
|
Yes, I had watched a video long ago. He also used sodium hypochlorite and avoided HNO3. I guess the Cl2 attacks gold.
He also wrote that he gets consistently 0.3 g Au per Pentium Pro. So, it makes sense that you get 3.0 g.
One day, soon, I will be doing gold recovery as well from electronics (also silver and palladium).
Signature ==== Is this my youtube page? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA5PYtul5aU
We must attach the electrodes of knowledge to the nipples of ignorance and give a few good jolts.
Yes my evolutionary friends. We are all homos here. |
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xpblue/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
