Precious metal refining involves purifying metals through pyrometallurgy or hydrometallurgy. Preparation includes sampling and creating an assay. Pyrometallurgy involves heating and melting to separate impurities, while hydrometallurgy dissolves metals in a solvent. Zone refining is a highly effective but expensive purification process. Hydrometallurgy involves leaching, purification, and recovery of precious metals through various methods. Precious […]
Iron ore is a rock containing usable amounts of iron, often found with silicates. To create pure iron, the ore must be deoxygenated using carbon, creating carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Limestone is added to create cast iron, which can be further processed to create steel. Iron is abundant and plays a crucial role in […]
Zone refining is a process used by companies to produce highly pure crystals for components like transistors. Impurities are forced to one end of an ingot through melting and cooling. A technician feeds the ingot through a tube with heating elements, creating a liquid zone where impurities precipitate. The technician expels impurities through multiple passes, […]
