| abstract |
The recovery of noble metal(s) from noble-metal-containing material is generally described. The noble metal(s) can be recovered selectively, in some cases, such that noble metal(s) is at least partially separated from non-noble-metal material within the material. Noble metal(s) may be recovered from noble-metal-containing material using mixtures of acids, in some instances. In some cases, the mixture can comprise nitric acid and/or another source of nitrate ions and at least one supplemental acid, such as sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, and/or a sulfonic acid. The amount of nitrate ions within the mixture can be, in some instances, relatively small compared to the amount of supplemental acid within the mixture. In some cases, the recovery of noble metal(s) using the acid mixtures described herein can be enhanced by transporting an electric current between an electrode and the noble metal(s) of the noble-metal-containing material. In some cases, acid mixtures can be used to recover silver from particular types of scrap materials, such as scrap material comprising silver metal and cadmium oxide and/or scrap material comprising silver metal and tungsten metal. |