An apparatus for collection of heavier particles such as gold flowing in a river includes a support frame with legs for mounting in the river spaced from the bed with a series of drum mounted on the support frame one behind the other for rotation about an axis transverse to the river flow. The drums have a plurality of blades mounted so that flow of water in the river causes a rotation of the drum, a plurality of water entry openings and a plurality of discharge openings in the drum with the drum shaped such that rotation causes a centrifugal action such that the heavier particles remain within the drum against escape from the drum while lighter particles and water are discharged.

The invention is directed to a process and apparatus for metal refining, in particular for refining a mixture of conductive particles, such as heavy non-ferrous particles. In accordance with the invention a feed containing a mixture of conductive particles is fed to a dissolution unit, wherein the less noble metal is separated from a metal of interest in the presence of one or more acids or complexing agents, thus producing a stream having a concentrated less noble metal and producing a conductive stream containing a metal of interest. The conductive stream is then fed to a refining unit, wherein the conductive stream is separated in a stream of concentrated metal(s) of interest and a stream of concentrated conductive particles.

In a system and method for separating metals from a substance comprising them, a system may comprise a constant current power supply and a furnace having a chamber for containing the substance. The furnace may comprise an insulating outer section, a chamber wall, and two electrodes.

An apparatus for separating and recovering the components of an alloy, particularly a noble alloy, including a high vacuum chamber housing at least one crucible for the alloy to be separated; at least one heating element arranged, during use, around the crucible; at least one condensation device, which faces, during use, an upper mouth of the crucible. The particularity of the present invention resides in that the condensation device includes at least one cold element and at least one deflector that is adapted to divert the flow of the aeriform substances derived from the melting and evaporation of the alloy toward the cold element. The invention also relates to a process for separating and recovering the components of an alloy, particularly a noble alloy.

Disclosed herein is a method of forming an alloy material for use in a wire. The method includes forming a master alloy containing lead and silver; and creating a molten wire alloy by combining the master alloy, additional lead, and a third material in a vessel. The method also includes flowing argon gas through and over the molten wire alloy. The method also includes drawing the molten alloy from the vessel through an actively cooled die, and solidifying the molten wire alloy to form a bar of wire alloy.

A method for recovering ruthenium from a spent ruthenium-based catalyst carried on aluminum oxide includes: drying, calcining, and cooling a spent catalyst; grinding the spent catalyst into black powder; placing the black powder in a fluidized bed reactor, purging the reactor with hydrogen and heating the black powder to obtain ruthenium metal, then heating the black powder in a mixed atmosphere of oxygen and ozone to obtain RuO.sub.4 gas; absorbing the RuO.sub.4 gas with a sufficient amount of hydrochloric acid to obtain a H.sub.3RuCl.sub.6 solution; adding an excess oxidant to the H.sub.3RuCl.sub.6 solution to oxidize the H.sub.3RuCl.sub.6 into H.sub.2RuCl.sub.6; adding excess NH.sub.4Cl to the H.sub.2RuCl.sub.6 and then filtering, and washing the filter cake to obtain solid (NH.sub.4).sub.2RuCl.sub.6; and reducing the solid (NH.sub.4).sub.2RuCl.sub.6 by hydrogen to obtain ruthenium metal.

Method of selective extraction of a metal of the family of platinoids, from a ceramic support containing said metal, comprising the following successive steps: a) said ceramic support containing said metal is brought into contact, in an extraction chamber, with an extraction medium consisting of a pressurized dense fluid containing an organic ligand that is selective for the metal and that is capable of forming a complex with said metal in the 0 state; whereby are obtained, on the one hand, a ceramic support depleted in said metal, or even free of said metal, and, on the other hand, a medium consisting of the pressurized dense fluid containing the complex of the organic ligand with the metal in the 0 state; b) said pressurized dense fluid containing the complex of the organic ligand with the metal in the 0 state is brought back to atmospheric pressure and to ambient temperature, whereby the complex of the organic ligand with the metal in the 0 state separates from the fluid; c) the ceramic support depleted in said metal, or even free of said metal, and the complex of the organic ligand with the metal in the 0 state, are recovered.

The invention relates to a method for multi-metal products recovery from pyrolytic waste integrated circuit boards. The method mainly comprises the steps of smelting and blending, atomization, acidolysis and filtration, noble metal recycling, copper extraction and back extraction, nickel extraction and back extraction. Compared with the prior art, the method has the advantages that smoke pollution and the smelting slag treatment in the process of preparing a black copper ingot through multi-metal collaborative smelting are reduced, and the problems of low anode efficiency of the black copper electrolysis process are solved. Meanwhile, the high-temperature high-oxygen atomized gas generated in the atomizing process provides a heat source and an oxygen source for subsequent acidolysis, so that the energy consumption is further reduced. The method has the advantages such as short process, remarkable energy conservation and emission reduction.

PGM converting process and jacketed rotary converter. The process can include low- or no-flux converting; partial pre-oxidation of PGM collector alloy; using a refractory protectant in the converter; magnetic separation of slag; recycling part of the slag to the converter; smelting catalyst material in a primary furnace to produce the collector alloy; and/or smelting the converter slag in a secondary furnace with slag from the primary furnace. The converter can include an inclined converter pot mounted for rotation; a refractory lining; an opening in a top of the pot to introduce converter feed; a lance for injecting oxygen-containing gas into the alloy pool; a heat transfer jacket adjacent the refractory lining; and a coolant system to circulate a heat transfer medium through the jacket to remove heat from the alloy pool in thermal communication with the refractory lining.

PGM converting process and jacketed rotary converter. The process can include low- or no-flux converting; partial pre-oxidation of PGM collector alloy; using a refractory protectant in the converter; magnetic separation of slag; recycling part of the slag to the converter; smelting catalyst material in a primary furnace to produce the collector alloy; and/or smelting the converter slag in a secondary furnace with slag from the primary furnace. The converter can include an inclined converter pot mounted for rotation; a refractory lining; an opening in a top of the pot to introduce converter feed; a lance for injecting oxygen-containing gas into the alloy pool; a heat transfer jacket adjacent the refractory lining; and a coolant system to circulate a heat transfer medium through the jacket to remove heat from the alloy pool in thermal communication with the refractory lining.