Precious Metal Extraction Equipment

— Turnkey Precious Metal Extraction Equipment

Precious metal extraction equipment is a turnkey hydrometallurgical and electrolytic system that recovers gold, silver, platinum, palladium and rhodium from electronic waste, anode slime, spent catalysts, plating solutions and jewellery scrap. A YuSai extraction line combines material preparation, pyrometallurgical enrichment, acid or aqua regia dissolution, selective separation by P204 / P507 / C272 solvent extraction and ion exchange, and Wohlwill or Möbius electrolytic refining to deliver 99.99% gold and silver at 95%+ overall recovery.

Overall recovery: 95%+ from qualified feed
Output purity: Au 99.99%, Ag 99.99% (higher on a second refining pass)
Metals recovered: Au · Ag · Pt · Pd · Rh · Ru · Ir
Route: hydrometallurgical, electrolytic, or a combined pyro-hydrometallurgical route selected per feed assay

Product Overview

Precious metal extraction equipment is the process plant that separates gold, silver and the platinum-group metals from a mixed or low-grade feedstock and upgrades them into a saleable, assayed product. The difficulty is rarely the chemistry — it is that real feed is inconsistent. A single consignment of circuit boards, anode slime or spent catalyst can vary in precious-metal grade by an order of magnitude, and the base-metal and halide content that surrounds the values changes how every downstream stage behaves. Equipment that works on a clean, uniform feed routinely fails on plant feed.

YuSai designs extraction lines around that variability. The line is built as a sequence of modules — preparation, enrichment, dissolution, separation, electrolytic refining, melting and casting — with the recirculation and environmental systems that keep it stable in continuous operation. Two principles shape the design. First, metal is never deliberately discarded: off-spec product, cell residues, filter cake and slag are returned to the head of the appropriate stage rather than sold as waste. Second, every stage is instrumented so that the metal balance can be closed and audited, which is what turns a recovery claim into a recovery figure.

The equipment family covers precious metal purification and refining plant, high-current-density gold and silver electrorefining cells, gold, silver and copper electrowinning units, enamel-lined and neutralisation reaction vessels, induction melting and vacuum casting equipment, and the acid gas, NOx and wastewater treatment modules that make the line licensable. It is supplied as individual machines for customers who are upgrading an existing plant, or as a complete turnkey line with plant layout, utilities design, installation, commissioning and operator training.

Because the feed decides the route, the starting point is a sample. A representative assay of your material determines whether the optimum path is pyrometallurgical enrichment followed by hydrometallurgical separation, direct acid or aqua regia dissolution, or an electrolytic route — and it determines the recovery figure we are prepared to contract against. The result is a line sized to the material you actually have, rather than a standard configuration that has to be worked around.

Key Selling Points

Feed-to-ingot in one contract. Preparation, smelting, dissolution, separation, electrolytic refining, melting, casting and off-gas treatment are supplied as one engineered line, so recovery losses are not pushed onto a third party between stages.
95%+ overall recovery, measured not claimed. Overall recovery is calculated per project from the metal balance of your feed assay minus final slag, residue and effluent losses — not from a laboratory best case.
99.99% gold and silver as the standard product. Wohlwill cells deliver 99.99% gold and Möbius cells deliver 99.99% silver, meeting LBMA Good Delivery minimum fineness (995.0 fine gold, 999.0 fine silver) with margin.
Assay-verified, method-stated purity. Every batch is released against fire assay (ISO 11426 / ASTM E1335), with XRF screening and ICP-OES difference analysis (ISO 15093 / ISO 15096) for high-purity product. The assay method is named on the certificate, so the purity figure can be reproduced independently.
Feed qualification before you commit. Send a representative sample; we return a feed assay, a route selection and a recovery projection — including an honest statement of what the line cannot process.
Route chosen per feed, not per catalogue. Aqua regia, nitric parting, chloride leaching, ion exchange and solvent extraction are combined in the proportion your feed chemistry requires, instead of forcing every material through one method.
Closed-loop environmental control. Acid fume scrubbing, NOx abatement, flue-dust capture and wastewater polishing are engineered into the line rather than added as an afterthought — the design point that decides whether a permit is granted.
Working capital considered. The gold and silver immobilised in electrolyte, anode plates and in-process inventory is quantified in the proposal, because that metal is a real cost of ownership.

Application Scenarios

E-waste and PCB recycling plants — recovering gold, silver and palladium from printed circuit boards, connectors, CPUs, RAM modules and plated components after mechanical dismantling and separation.
Copper and lead refineries — treating anode slime and anode sludge to recover gold, silver, selenium, tellurium and platinum-group metals as a by-product revenue stream.
Precious metal refineries and assay houses — refining doré, scrap jewellery, sweeps and bench waste into Good Delivery-grade gold and silver with certificate-backed purity.
Catalyst recovery operations — extracting platinum, palladium and rhodium from spent automotive, petrochemical and fuel-cell catalysts.
Electroplating and surface-finishing plants — recovering metal from plating baths, drag-out tanks, strip solutions and rinse water, and returning it to production instead of discharging it.
Jewellery and watch manufacturing — closed-loop in-house refining of polishing dust, filings, rejected parts and old stock.
Mining and hydrometallurgical operations — desorption, electrowinning and refining of gold from cyanide leach circuits and pregnant solutions.
Solar PV and electronics manufacturing — recovering silver from silicon powder, screen-printing paste waste and metallisation scrap.
Wastewater and effluent treatment — electrolytic recovery of precious metals from industrial effluent before discharge, converting a treatment cost into metal revenue.

Applicable Raw Materials

A YuSai extraction line accepts seven feed families. The route applied to each is selected after the feed assay rather than fixed in advance, so the list below shows the material, the process path it normally takes, and what it yields.

Electronic waste — PCBs, connectors, CPUs, RAM modules, gold-plated pins and mixed e-scrap concentrates. Processed by mechanical preparation and separation, then pyrometallurgical enrichment, then acid or aqua regia dissolution, with a solvent-extraction and ion-exchange separation stage where palladium is present. Yields gold, silver and palladium, together with a copper-bearing residue that is separately recovered.

Anode slime and tank-house sludge — copper and lead refinery anode slime and anode sludge. Processed by smelting or roasting, followed by acid leaching and selective separation of the dissolved metals. Yields gold and silver, plus selenium and tellurium concentrates as by-products.

Spent catalysts — automotive three-way catalysts, petrochemical catalysts and fuel-cell catalysts. Processed by roasting or leaching to break down the support matrix, followed by solvent extraction with P204 / P507 / C272 and ion exchange to separate the individual metals. Yields platinum, palladium and rhodium as sponge.

Plating and process solutions — plating baths, drag-out tanks, strip and etch solutions and rinse water. Recovered directly by electrolysis or by ion exchange, without a smelting or dissolution stage. Yields metal returned to production as anode material or cast into ingot.

Jewellery and workshop waste — doré, scrap alloys, polishing dust, filings and sweeps. Processed by inquartation or nitric parting, then aqua regia dissolution, then electrolytic refining. Yields 99.99% gold and 99.99% silver.

Mineral and concentrate feed — gold-bearing ore, gravity concentrates and silver-bearing residues. Processed by leaching, carbon or resin adsorption, electrowinning and final refining. Yields gold and silver ingot.

Industrial residues — photographic and imaging waste, silver-bearing film and fixer, and spent silver catalysts. Recovered by precipitation or electrolysis. Yields silver for re-use in production or for sale.

Feed qualification — what the line is not designed to process

Stated plainly, because it saves both parties time:

Mixed, uncharacterised feed with no assay — a route cannot be selected, and no responsible recovery figure can be quoted.
Very high base-metal content (for example heavy copper or lead-dominant feed) without a preceding removal stage — base metals consume reagent and depress precious-metal recovery in a single-pass design.
High-grade native silver or silver halide feed sent directly to gold electrolysis — these require nitric parting or a separate silver circuit, not a Wohlwill cell.
Materials regulated as hazardous waste without the corresponding handling licence at the destination site.
Feed containing mercury, thallium or high-concentration cyanide without a dedicated abatement module.

If your material falls outside these limits, tell us the composition and we will say so before a quotation is issued. Where a feed cannot be processed economically, the honest answer is that the project should not proceed.

Output Products

A line delivers eight output categories. Each is described by the form it leaves the plant in, the purity it is released at, and the assay method behind that figure — so the number can be checked independently rather than accepted on the supplier’s word.

Gold — supplied as ingot, granule or sponge, at 99.99% (4N) as standard and up to 99.999% (5N) on a second refining pass. Meets the LBMA Good Delivery minimum fineness of 995.0 and is cast to your required bar weight.

Silver — supplied as electrolytic crystal, granule or ingot at 99.99%. Meets the LBMA Good Delivery minimum fineness of 999.0.

Platinum — supplied as sponge or ingot, with purity verified per batch by ICP-OES. Delivered as sponge for subsequent melting, or cast on request.

Palladium — supplied as sponge or ingot, with purity verified per batch by ICP-OES. Available as sponge or as the purified salt, matching your downstream process.

Rhodium — supplied as sponge or salt, with purity verified per batch by ICP-OES. Recovered from catalyst and PGM-bearing residue feed.

Ruthenium and Iridium — supplied as sponge or salt, with purity verified per batch by ICP-OES. An optional circuit, configured on request.

By-products — copper cathode, nickel or cobalt salt, and selenium or tellurium concentrate at commercial grade. Recovered from the base-metal and residue streams, so they leave the plant as product rather than as waste.

Saleable residues — treated slag and filter cake, released only once the precious-metal content has been driven below the economic recovery threshold. Every batch is assayed before release.

Each consignment is released with a Certificate of Analysis stating the assay method used, the measured fineness and the batch mass — so the purity figure can be checked by a third-party laboratory.

Process Flow

The line runs as eight stages — six sequential process stages, plus two plant-wide systems that operate continuously across the whole circuit.

Steps 1 — Material Preparation. Feed is weighed, sampled and dismantled, then shredded, milled and separated to liberate the precious-metal-bearing fraction. Output: sized, homogenised feed and a representative assay sample.

Steps 2 — Pyrometallurgical Enrichment. Fluxed smelting with a collector metal concentrates the precious metals, and the slag is assayed and re-checked before release. Output: doré bar or anode plates, with slag returned to smelting.

Steps 3 — Chemical Dissolution. Aqua regia dissolution for gold and PGM feed, nitric parting for silver-rich alloys, and chloride leaching where the feed chemistry suits it. Output: pregnant solution, with leach residue returned for re-treatment.

Steps 4 — Selective Separation. Gold is precipitated and reduced, while platinum, palladium and rhodium are separated by solvent extraction with P204 / P507 / C272 and by ion exchange. Output: separated metal liquors and purified intermediate compounds.

Steps 5 — Electrolytic Refining. Wohlwill cells refine gold to 99.99% purity and Möbius cells refine silver to 99.99% purity, with high-current-density cell designs available. Output: high-purity cathode gold and electrolytic silver crystal.

Steps 6 — Melting, Casting and Assay. Induction melting and vacuum or gravity casting produce the ingot, followed by fire assay, XRF or ICP-OES release. Output: finished ingot with Certificate of Analysis.

Steps 7 — Recirculation Loop. Off-spec product, cell residues and slag return to the appropriate upstream stage. Output: metal losses closed back into the circuit.

Steps 8 — Environmental Treatment. Acid fume scrubbing, NOx abatement, flue dust capture and wastewater polishing run continuously across all stages. Output: treated gas and water, monitored to the agreed discharge limits.

Steps 7 and 8 are not sequential process stages — step 7 is a plant-wide recirculation loop and step 8 is a plant-wide treatment system that operates continuously across steps 1 to 6.

Product Structure (Main Equipment)

Reaction and dissolution section

Enamel-lined reaction kettles for aqua regia and chloride dissolution
Neutralisation reaction kettles for spent-acid conditioning
Acid washing agitation tanks and double-impeller leaching agitation tanks
Multi-layer washing thickeners and filter presses

Separation and purification section

Solvent extraction units using P204, P507 and C272 extractants
Ion-exchange and activated carbon adsorption columns
PPH bubble absorption tanks

Electrolytic refining and electrowinning section

High-current-density gold electrolytic refining equipment
High-current-density silver electrolytic refining equipment
New-type gold and silver electrolytic cells; horizontal silver electrolytic cells
Cyclone electrowinning equipment and standard electrowinning cells for gold, silver and copper
HF pulse and SCR rectifiers with current-density control

Melting and casting section

Induction heating high-frequency melting furnaces and medium-frequency induction melting furnaces
1600 °C induction heating furnaces and 1600 °C medium-frequency melting furnaces
Split tilting melting furnaces and oxygen-enriched bottom-blown furnaces
Precious metal granulators and atomisation powder-making equipment
Vacuum ingot casting machines, vacuum pressure casting machines and gold / silver ingot casting moulds
Lead-copper anode slime converters

Gold cyanidation and leach circuit (optional)

Desorption and electrolysis complete equipment
Deoxygenation towers, disc-type zinc powder feeders and air lifters
Carbon separation screens

Environmental treatment section

Acid and alkali gas treatment equipment
NOx treatment equipment and flue gas absorption towers
Scrubber towers and laboratory waste gas treatment equipment
Wastewater polishing and precious-metal recovery from effluent

Control and instrumentation

PLC-based process control with recipe management per feed type
Temperature, pH, ORP, current-density and flow instrumentation
Batch traceability from feed intake to ingot, with the metal balance recorded per batch

Product Features

Modular architecture. Each section is a standalone module, so capacity can be increased by adding a module rather than replacing the line, and a single module can be upgraded without stopping production.
Corrosion-resistant wetted parts. PP, PPH, PVC, PVDF, PTFE, glass-lined steel, titanium and 316L are selected per stream chemistry — the specification that determines service life in an acid-chloride environment.
Closed-circuit reagent handling. Dissolution, separation and electrolyte circuits are closed, with fume containment at every vessel, so acid vapour is captured at source instead of escaping into the workshop.
Batch traceability. Each batch carries an identifier linking feed intake, assay, process parameters, output mass and final certificate — the record that makes audits and customer claims manageable.
Recipe-driven operation. Feed-type recipes store the setpoints for reagent addition, temperature, current density and cycle time, so a change of feed does not require re-tuning the line from scratch.
Metal-holding visibility. Electrolyte, anode plate and in-process inventory volumes are stated so the working capital tied up in the circuit is a known quantity.
Serviceable layout. Vessels, cells and pumps are arranged for access and maintenance without dismantling adjacent equipment.
Documentation package. Process flow diagrams, P&IDs, instrumentation lists, operating procedures, maintenance schedules and spare-parts lists are supplied as a controlled document set.

Technical Parameters and Specifications

Parameters are given per module, because a precious metal extraction line is assembled from several unit operations rather than being a single machine. Values below are typical design references for standard configurations. The final specification is confirmed against your feed assay and stated in the signed technical agreement.

1. Process Parameters

Parameter	Gold circuit (Wohlwill)	Silver circuit (Möbius)
Electrolyte system	Gold(III) chloride in hydrochloric acid (AuCl₃ / HCl)	Silver nitrate in nitric acid (AgNO₃ / HNO₃)
Cathode product	Granular / powder gold	Electrolytic silver crystal
Standard product purity	99.99%	99.99%
Purity on second refining pass	up to 99.999%	up to 99.999%
Electrolyte temperature control	± 1 °C	± 1 °C
Electrolyte circulation	Closed-loop, continuous filtration	Closed-loop, continuous filtration
Rectifier type	HF pulse / SCR, current-density controlled	HF pulse / SCR, current-density controlled
Anode bag / diaphragm	Acid-resistant fabric or PTFE	Acid-resistant fabric or PTFE
Cell body material	PTFE / PVDF-lined, titanium and 316L wetted parts	PTFE / PVDF-lined, titanium and 316L wetted parts

2. Recovery And Yield Parameters

Parameter	Value	Basis
Overall recovery, qualified feed	95%+	Metal balance: feed assay minus final slag, residue and effluent losses
Gold recovery, e-waste route	95%+	Per project, confirmed after feed assay
Silver recovery, anode slime route	95%+	Per project, confirmed after feed assay
PGM recovery, spent catalyst route	Per project	Confirmed after feed assay; depends on support matrix and PGM loading
Off-spec recirculation	Closed loop	Off-spec product, cell residues and slag return upstream

How recovery is calculated. Overall recovery is not a fixed equipment property. It is the metal balance of a specific feed: (precious metal in feed − precious metal in final slag − precious metal in residue − precious metal in effluent) ÷ precious metal in feed. Two plants with identical equipment and different feed will report different recoveries. This is why we state the basis, not just the number.

3. Materials Of Construction

Stream / equipment	Material options
Reaction and dissolution vessels	Enamel-lined steel, PPH, PP, PVDF, PTFE-lined
Acid and chloride tanks	PPH, PVC, PVDF, FRP
Wetted parts, pumps and fittings	PTFE, PVDF, titanium, 316L stainless steel
Electrolytic cell bodies	PTFE / PVDF-lined; concrete or FRP shells for large cells
Cathode and anode substrates	Titanium, stainless steel, graphite, precious-metal-coated
Off-gas ducting and scrubbers	PPH, FRP, PVC

4. Control, Monitoring And Utilities

Parameter	Specification
Control system	PLC with touchscreen HMI, recipe management per feed type
Instrumentation	Temperature, pH, ORP, conductivity, flow, current density, level
Rectifier control	Constant-current or constant-voltage mode with current-density setpoint
Data logging	Batch-based recording of process parameters and metal balance
Feed material form	Solid (crushed / milled), sludge, solution, or mixed
Site services required	Process water, instrument air, ventilation, three-phase power supply, effluent collection
Electrical supply	Three-phase, 380 V / 50 Hz or 60 Hz, or configured to destination-country standard
Certification	CE marking for European delivery; ISO 9001 quality management; other certifications on request

5. Assay, Verification And Product Release

Stage	Method	Reference standard
Feed sampling and assay	Representative sampling and fire assay / XRF screening	ISO 11426, ASTM E1335
In-process control	Titration, ORP and specific-ion measurement	Per project
High-purity gold, platinum, palladium	Difference method by ICP-OES	ISO 15093
High-purity silver	Difference method by ICP-OES	ISO 15096
Final product release	Fire assay to 999.5‰, or ICP-OES difference above that fineness	ISO 11426, ISO 15093, ISO 15096
Good Delivery compliance	Fineness against LBMA Good Delivery minimum (995.0 gold, 999.0 silver)	LBMA Good Delivery Rules

6. Environmental And Compliance Parameters

Item	Treatment
Acid fumes and chlorine mist	Captured at source with fume hoods and vessel covers; two- to three-stage wet scrubbing
Nitrogen oxides	Dedicated NOx abatement module before discharge
Flue dust and particulates	Captured and recirculated to the smelting charge where economic
Wastewater	Closed-loop circulation with polishing stage; quality monitored before discharge
Waste sludge	Assayed and returned to recovery until below the cut-off threshold
Noise	Pumps, blowers and rectifiers selected and acoustically treated
Permitting support	Effluent and emission data supplied to support your local permit application

Important. Precious metal refining involves strong acids, chlorine gas, nitrogen oxides and molten metal. Do not scale or operate a process from published text alone. Final design must be validated by our engineers against your specific feed, local regulations and site conditions.

7. Configuration Notes

Lines are configured per project: from a single machine or module to a complete feed-to-ingot turnkey plant.
Capacity is defined as batch mass × cycles per day, calculated from your feed grade and target output — not as a single headline throughput figure.
The precious metal immobilised in electrolyte, anode plates and in-process inventory is quantified in every proposal, because it is a real working-capital cost.
Optional circuits (ruthenium / iridium, selenium / tellurium, base-metal salt recovery) are added on request.

Technical Advantages

Route selection is derived from your assay, not from a catalogue. Because aqua regia, nitric parting, chloride leaching, ion exchange and solvent extraction are all in scope, the proposal recommends the sequence your feed chemistry actually requires — and says so when a cheaper route exists.
Recovery is stated on a defined basis. We publish the metal-balance formula behind every recovery figure, so the number can be checked against your own assays instead of being accepted on trust. Most equipment listings in this category assert a percentage with no basis at all.
Purity claims come with the assay method attached. Naming ISO 11426, ASTM E1335, ISO 15093 and ISO 15096 makes the figure independently reproducible — which matters when your own buyer assays the ingot on arrival.
Working capital is treated as a design variable. Metal tied up in electrolyte and anode plates is quantified, so total cost of ownership is visible before purchase rather than discovered after commissioning.
Feed disqualification is stated up front. Saying what the line cannot process protects the project schedule and the commercial relationship — and it is the information buyers search for after a poor experience elsewhere.
Environmental control is engineered into the line. Acid fume scrubbing, NOx abatement, flue-dust capture and wastewater polishing are integral to the design, not optional extras added after a permit objection.
Losses are recycled, not written off. Slag, residues, filter cake and off-spec product re-enter the circuit instead of leaving as waste, which raises effective yield without adding feed.
One supplier across the whole chain. Preparation, smelting, dissolution, separation, electrolysis, melting and casting from a single engineering team means interfaces between stages are designed rather than negotiated.
Documentation is audit-ready. P&IDs, instrumentation lists, procedures, batch records and certificates are supplied as a controlled set, so quality-system and customer audits do not require reconstruction.
Standards-aligned output. Products are refined against LBMA Good Delivery fineness thresholds, and CE marking, ISO 9001 quality management and destination-country electrical standards are addressed during engineering rather than at shipping.

Service Flow

Service runs as ten stages, from first enquiry through to long-term after-sales support.

Steps 1 — Inquiry and Consultation. We establish the feed type, the target output, the site conditions and the commercial objectives of the project. Your input: a description of your feed and the target capacity.

Steps 2 — Free Feed Assay and Route Study. We analyse a representative sample, select the process route, project the recovery figures and run a disqualification check before any commercial commitment is made. Your input: a representative feed sample, typically a few kilograms.

Steps 3 — Technical Proposal. We issue the process flow diagram, equipment list, utilities requirement, layout concept, recovery projection and commercial terms. Your input: feedback on the proposal and confirmation of scope.

Steps 4 — Detailed Engineering. We produce P&IDs, equipment specifications, electrical and control design, plant layout and the data needed to support your permit applications. Your input: site survey information and local regulatory requirements.

Steps 5 — Manufacture and Factory Acceptance Test. We fabricate and assemble the equipment, carry out hydrostatic and electrical testing, and run a trial on your feed sample where feasible. Your input: attendance at the FAT, or agreement to witness it remotely.

Steps 6 — Shipping and Documentation. We export-pack and container-load the equipment and prepare the commercial and technical documentation. Your input: import formalities and destination requirements.

Steps 7 — Installation. We provide on-site mechanical and electrical installation guidance, or full installation supervision. Your input: site preparation, utilities, foundations and rigging.

Steps 8 — Commissioning. We carry out cold and hot commissioning, tune the process parameters on your actual feed and verify the metal balance. Your input: feed material and operating labour.

Steps 9 — Training. We train your operators and maintenance staff on process control, safety, assay procedures and troubleshooting. Your input: the staff you nominate to be trained.

Steps 10 — After-Sales Support. Remote diagnostics, spare parts, periodic service visits and process optimisation continue after handover, for the working life of the plant. Your input: operating data and feedback from the plant.

Typical lead times (confirmed per project): standard single machines and modules 4–6 weeks; complete turnkey lines 1–3 months from order confirmation, excluding shipping and site installation. Lead time is stated in the quotation so it is a commitment rather than an estimate.

Warranty And After-Sales

Warranty coverage

Standard warranty: 12 months from commissioning or 18 months from shipment, whichever comes first
Covers manufacturing defects in supplied equipment, workmanship and control systems
Consumable and wear items (anode bags, diaphragms, filter cloth, resin, graphite crucibles, refractory lining) are excluded and are listed with expected service life in the spare-parts schedule
Warranty is void where failure results from operation outside the agreed process parameters, use of unapproved reagents, or feed outside the qualified specification

After-sales commitments

Remote support: technical response within 24 hours on business days, by email, telephone or video
Spare parts: critical spares and wear parts available for a minimum of 3 years from delivery, with a recommended first-year spares kit supplied with the line
On-site service: engineers available for installation supervision, commissioning, troubleshooting and periodic service visits; terms stated in the contract
Operator training: on-site training during commissioning, plus refresher training and process optimisation support on request
Process optimisation: review of operating data to improve recovery, reduce reagent consumption or shorten cycle time as your feed mix changes
Documentation: operating and maintenance manuals, process flow diagrams, P&IDs, electrical schematics and assay procedures supplied as a controlled document set

Frequently Asked Questions

What is precious metal extraction equipment?
Precious metal extraction equipment is a process plant that separates gold, silver, platinum, palladium and rhodium from mixed or low-grade feedstock — such as electronic waste, anode slime, spent catalysts, plating solutions or jewellery scrap — and upgrades them into assayed, saleable product. A complete line covers material preparation, enrichment, dissolution, selective separation, electrolytic refining, melting and casting, plus environmental treatment.

What recovery rate can I expect?
For qualified feed, 95%+ overall recovery. Recovery is not a fixed property of the equipment: it is the metal balance of your specific feed. We calculate it as (precious metal in feed − losses in final slag, residue and effluent) ÷ precious metal in feed, and we state that basis in the proposal so you can verify it against your own assays.

What purity does the equipment deliver?
99.99% gold and 99.99% silver as standard, with up to 99.999% achievable on a second refining pass. Platinum, palladium and rhodium purities are verified per batch by ICP-OES. Products meet LBMA Good Delivery minimum fineness for gold (995.0) and silver (999.0).

How is the purity figure verified?
Fire assay to ISO 11426 or ASTM E1335 for gold-bearing material, XRF screening in process, and ICP-OES difference analysis to ISO 15093 (gold, platinum, palladium) and ISO 15096 (silver) for high-purity product. Every consignment is released with a Certificate of Analysis naming the method used, so a third-party laboratory can reproduce the result.

Is the capacity per batch or per day?
Both are relevant, and conflating them is the most common source of misunderstanding in this industry. Capacity is quoted as batch mass × cycles per day, calculated from your feed grade and target output. A stated “kg/day” figure without a batch basis and an operating-hours assumption is not comparable between suppliers.

How much precious metal is tied up inside the equipment?
A real amount, and it should be part of your investment calculation. Electrolyte, anode plates and in-process inventory hold precious metal that is not available until the circuit is balanced or shut down. We quantify this figure in every proposal as a working-capital line item — most suppliers do not mention it.

What can the line NOT process?
Uncharacterised mixed feed with no assay; feed dominated by base metals without a preceding removal stage; high-grade silver or silver halide material sent directly to gold electrolysis; hazardous waste without the correct handling licence at site; and feed containing mercury, thallium or high-concentration cyanide without a dedicated abatement module. We will tell you before quoting if your material falls into one of these categories.

Which method should I choose — aqua regia, electrolysis, or ion exchange?
It depends on feed purity, impurity profile, throughput, floor space and permit conditions. Aqua regia is generally the fastest route for low-purity gold-bearing scrap with variable composition; electrolysis gives the highest and most consistent purity and is best for regular, higher-grade feed; ion exchange suits dilute solutions and plating rinse water. The proposal includes a route-selection comparison for your material.

What does the equipment cost?
Cost is driven by feed type, capacity, route complexity, level of automation and the environmental modules required. Several configurations are available, and price bands by configuration are provided in the quotation. We do not publish a single headline price, because a number without a defined feed, capacity and scope cannot be compared with anything.

What do I need to send for a quotation?
A representative feed sample — typically a few kilograms — plus your target output and site conditions. The assay result is the single input that determines route, recovery projection, equipment list and price. Sampling is free; we return the feed assay and route study with the proposal.

How long is delivery and commissioning?
Standard machines and modules ship in [X–X weeks]; complete turnkey lines take [X–X months] from order confirmation. Installation and commissioning typically add [X–X weeks] on site, depending on the scope. Firm lead times are stated in the quotation.

What site preparation is required?
Three-phase power, process water, instrument air, ventilation, a foundation or load-bearing floor for the vessels and cells, and an effluent collection system. The detailed engineering package specifies the quantity and quality required for each utility, so civil and services work can run in parallel with manufacture.

What environmental approvals will I need?
Typically air emission approval for acid fumes and NOx, effluent discharge consent for process water, and hazardous waste handling registration for acid residues and sludge. We supply the emission and effluent data needed to support your local permit application, and we will not ship a line whose environmental scope does not match your permit conditions.

Can the equipment be supplied as individual machines rather than a full plant?
Yes. Many customers upgrade one section at a time. Modules are supplied individually, and the line is designed so that a module can be added or replaced without rebuilding the rest of the circuit.

Do you provide installation and operator training?
Yes. Installation supervision, cold and hot commissioning, process parameter tuning on your actual feed, and operator and maintenance training are part of the standard turnkey scope. Remote diagnostics and periodic service visits continue after handover.

Why should I not just buy from a supplier who quotes a lower recovery claim?
Because recovery claims in this category are often unsupported. Ask any supplier three questions: what feed assay is the recovery based on, what method verifies the output purity, and what is the metal balance for the losses. A supplier who cannot answer all three has not calculated the figure. We publish all three.