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| T6 Leaching |
T6 is a powerful, broad-range precipitating formula, fast acting and designed
with the miner in mind.
What most do not know, is that it makes a powerful leaching agent as well.
As it strips all metals out of finely ground ores, or water, it is perfect for
those with low iron-content ores, as is.
For those wishing to reduce the volume of materials to leach with more
expensive formulations, or who wish to leach concentrates that are metal-rich
with Gold or Platinums, this is a real time saver.
HOW TO USE
Make up your mix water for leaching with one cup per 100 gallons of warm or
hot water, adding enough HCL (Muriatic) acid to make it PH 1-2. The mix water
will appear milky as it begins to work.
Add to this, up to 25 lbs. finely ground or screened ore.
If you have a small stirrer, use on slow speed, or add a weighted aquarium
bubbler hose to keep things mixed up.
Alternately, you can use Sodium Hydroxide for a reverse leach as
well....although I prefer the acidic side. Do not go too far with Sodium
Hydroxide...about 10.5 is tops, or you will dissolve other nasties you don't want.
The activity is very fast, reducing overall leach times and costs significantly,
compared with other methods, and ......IT'S BIO-DEGRADABLE !
To drop the metals, pour off clear portion after settling the leach, and
transfer to a clean container.
Now raise the PH with Sodium Hydroxide or lower it with HCL, as required, to
arrive as near to PH 7 as you can.
The metals should start to coagulate in the leach water almost immediately,
appearing a golden or rust brown or black.
* If needed, add a few more drops of the T-6 to get it started.
The break should be clean, between the watery portion on top, and the rapidly
sinking heavy metallics.
Next, dry down the sludge at the bottom.
You can help this along by waiting a bit, till it settles down, drawing off the
clear water to recycle it back to your leach tank, and reducing the overall
volume, till you have mostly sludge.
From this point, I personally transfer it to big electric turkey roasters....then
set for 250 degrees, and wait till it's crusty brown and dried. All of the
sulfurs and carbons will evaporate off, leaving pretty much Gold and Platinums.
It is ready to melt now.
The yields should be about 1/4 of the dry precipitate in metals.
If you wish to separate the Gold portion off, you can re-leach this remainder
with Iodine slowly for 24 hrs, repeating the procedures as above, and
re-precipitate by bringing the PH back to 7, for 999 Gold.
Remainder will be platinum group metals (PGM's) and other metals.
with the miner in mind.
What most do not know, is that it makes a powerful leaching agent as well.
As it strips all metals out of finely ground ores, or water, it is perfect for
those with low iron-content ores, as is.
For those wishing to reduce the volume of materials to leach with more
expensive formulations, or who wish to leach concentrates that are metal-rich
with Gold or Platinums, this is a real time saver.
HOW TO USE
Make up your mix water for leaching with one cup per 100 gallons of warm or
hot water, adding enough HCL (Muriatic) acid to make it PH 1-2. The mix water
will appear milky as it begins to work.
Add to this, up to 25 lbs. finely ground or screened ore.
If you have a small stirrer, use on slow speed, or add a weighted aquarium
bubbler hose to keep things mixed up.
Alternately, you can use Sodium Hydroxide for a reverse leach as
well....although I prefer the acidic side. Do not go too far with Sodium
Hydroxide...about 10.5 is tops, or you will dissolve other nasties you don't want.
The activity is very fast, reducing overall leach times and costs significantly,
compared with other methods, and ......IT'S BIO-DEGRADABLE !
To drop the metals, pour off clear portion after settling the leach, and
transfer to a clean container.
Now raise the PH with Sodium Hydroxide or lower it with HCL, as required, to
arrive as near to PH 7 as you can.
The metals should start to coagulate in the leach water almost immediately,
appearing a golden or rust brown or black.
* If needed, add a few more drops of the T-6 to get it started.
The break should be clean, between the watery portion on top, and the rapidly
sinking heavy metallics.
Next, dry down the sludge at the bottom.
You can help this along by waiting a bit, till it settles down, drawing off the
clear water to recycle it back to your leach tank, and reducing the overall
volume, till you have mostly sludge.
From this point, I personally transfer it to big electric turkey roasters....then
set for 250 degrees, and wait till it's crusty brown and dried. All of the
sulfurs and carbons will evaporate off, leaving pretty much Gold and Platinums.
It is ready to melt now.
The yields should be about 1/4 of the dry precipitate in metals.
If you wish to separate the Gold portion off, you can re-leach this remainder
with Iodine slowly for 24 hrs, repeating the procedures as above, and
re-precipitate by bringing the PH back to 7, for 999 Gold.
Remainder will be platinum group metals (PGM's) and other metals.
| Updated 10/26/2006 |