would like to try to remove platinum and rhodium from old catalytic converters, problem arising don't want to use acids for separation. knowledge of
procedure is adding a base metal with ground honeycomb material, what would be a good bond metal within heat range of platinum?Dan Vizine - 24-10-2014 at 16:38
leaddonthaveaclue - 24-10-2014 at 18:03
thank you very much, that was the shove I needed. have everything except small children to stir the chauldron with. Dan Vizine - 24-10-2014 at 18:17
Then, you can extract the lead from the collected metal with nitric acid to leave a crude platinum sponge. You're going to need acid at some point,
sorry.
[Edited on 25-10-2014 by Dan Vizine]blogfast25 - 25-10-2014 at 04:53
Then, you can extract the lead from the collected metal with nitric acid to leave a crude platinum sponge. You're going to need acid at some point,
sorry.
[Edited on 25-10-2014 by Dan Vizine]
And you're going to need a LOT MORE acid via this route too!
If you want to extract PGMs without acid it's like 'if you can't stand the heat stay out of the kitchen!', frankly.CuReUS - 25-10-2014 at 09:19
Asocial survival could use this method for getting platinum for his "becoming rich overnight..." video ,makes much more sense than using nuclear
fission to get gold or whatever
[Edited on 25-10-2014 by CuReUS]donthaveaclue - 26-10-2014 at 20:00
in the place of nitric acid would it be possible to use caustic soda for purification after a roast? what could be a substitute for nitric acid, short
of stealing the pharmacy/drugstore supply. perhaps hydrogen perioxide? Dan Vizine - 27-10-2014 at 11:26
No. NaOH won't work, nor will H2O2. You NEED nitric acid at some point. And, really, since you need that anyway, just get the HCl and do it the easy
way.
Any reason you can't just buy it on eBay? That's my standard answer because you can find anything that can be had there. I can't tell where you are
because you don't list your location, so I don't know what import rules apply to you.
I think there are also sellers that sell prepackaged kits to make aqua regia.
[Edited on 27-10-2014 by Dan Vizine]donthaveaclue - 28-10-2014 at 19:07
think ive finally come up with a viable solution to the woes that plaque the simple minded. sometimes overthinking or having answers readily available
by others causes enough doubt to look beyond the regular and try something new. 1st test trial tomorrow using a multitude of different amounts within
the same chemical group. What is best, thicker glass or plastic? like the grocerer always asks, paper or plastic.Dan Vizine - 28-10-2014 at 19:56
By all means, look beyond the regular. Best of luck.Praxichys - 29-10-2014 at 06:08
You pulverize the honeycomb, then send it to me. I will use the acids to recover the rhodium and platinum, then ship the metals back to you.
I'll pay you to "legally" "find" catalytic converters and process them to unrecognizable dust, and you pay me to do the chemistry. We'll split it
50/50.
As a Detroit resident and a victim of converter theft myself, I find it comforting that scrapyards no longer accept them unless they are attached to a
car.Dan Vizine - 29-10-2014 at 08:41
.
.
.
As a Detroit resident and a victim of converter theft myself, I find it comforting that scrapyards no longer accept them unless they are attached to a
car.
Doesn't matter, unfortunately. Believe it or not, they are sold all over eBay.MrHomeScientist - 29-10-2014 at 09:08
I tried recovering material from a converter once, but the one I had turned out to have a metal honeycomb instead of ceramic. When I realized the
gallons of acid I'd need, that put a stop to that project. I still have the converter (given to me by a friend when he replaced one on his car), so if
there's a process for steel honeycomb I'd be interested.Praxichys - 29-10-2014 at 09:21
HCl should dissolve both carbon and stainless steels. I can get a gallon of 32% HCl at Home Depot for $6. I'd try that, then filter out the sludge
that remains (which would have the precious metals) and use the standard aqua regia method to recover the metals from the sludge.
It may involve gallons of acid, but it doesn't have to be expensive. Throw it in a bucket of HCl in the backyard for a week and see what happens.
Speculation of course; perform at your own risk. But if you do, let us know what happens!MrHomeScientist - 29-10-2014 at 09:27
Yeah I suppose that's true. My initial experiment involved a small cutting of the honeycomb in HCl, in an attempt to dissolve any base metals first
before proceeding to nitric alone, then aqua regia to get the values. The HCl step bubbled furiously and the solution became deep green, so it will
certainly dissolve the substrate but as you said may take some time and lots of acid. It's worth a revisit, I suppose.Dan Vizine - 29-10-2014 at 10:25
What is the expected metal recovery from an "average" converter?donthaveaclue - 3-11-2014 at 21:07
mr home scientist, the procedure is worth visiting, how ever remember the carbon is reactive with nitric so one has to be careful
Dan on average 3-5 oz of platinum can be recovered from commercial grade catalytic converters, reg vehicle are .5- 1.5 oz recovery
donthaveaclue - 3-11-2014 at 21:14
also as a cleansing before wasting any precious content it would be proper to keep the comb as lean as possible, when cutting the comb out of the cans
use a zip cut on grinder from the end as to not disturb the comb. foreign material only adds to the sludge. what is the best way to filter after the
first initial leeching? then a wash of some sort before going with aqua treatment
