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Topic: Need some help with electronic scrap  (Read 2343 times)

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Offline Comrade

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Need some help with electronic scrap
« on: November 25, 2015, 06:12:42 AM »
Hi, guys!
Please, give me smart advice. I’m keeping old electronic scrap (some electronic equipment, belongs to former Soviet Union times) ang got the idea to refine gold from the contacts.
Is there anything you can say about this kind of equipment http://www.ishor.com/refining-and-recovery/refining-systems-processes  It’s a bit expensive, so I have  doubts if it’s worth the overpayment? Maybe you can suggest another options?

Offline Enthalpy

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Re: Need some help with electronic scrap
« Reply #1 on: December 01, 2015, 06:08:15 PM »
As a gut feeling, the linked equipment looks expensive for plastic boxes.

Random considerations:
- You may want to estimate the amount of gold available in the equipment. Plating uses to be few µm thin.
- Gold scraping is done commercially, yes - but in poor countries like Bengladesh, and on a huge scale.
- Beware the chemicals used! Mercury for instance is unhealthy, cyanides too, aqua regia is corrosive for real. Pollution is a big worry.

One example of amount estimation: an old Agp video card. The Agp connector is 100mm*5mm*50% *2 sides *2µm perhaps: that's 0.02g gold. To sell 50€ gold you must scrap 60 cards.

Offline lawrencek

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Re: Need some help with electronic scrap
« Reply #2 on: December 16, 2015, 04:35:51 AM »
I think you need to be very careful about the nasty chemicals hazard. I read (can't find it) about someone who used mercury to recover gold and they had to demolish his house which was contaminated.

Sounds like fun, but probably not worth it. And where do you scrap your processed boards?

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