The Miller process is a gold refining technique that uses chlorine gas to separate impurities, producing gold with a purity of 99.95%. It is faster and less expensive than other methods, making it popular in some refineries. Environmental controls are important, and markets have strict regulations on gold content and weight.
The Miller process is a gold refining process that produces gold with a purity of approximately 99.95%, which is sufficient for many applications. It is faster and less expensive than other refining options used to produce purer gold, making it a popular choice in some refineries. This technique involves passing chlorine gas through said melt to trigger a chemical reaction that separates the impurities. If a refinery needs higher purity gold, it can send the processed bars to a facility with other available refining techniques for additional processing.
Refinery starts with base smelting to mine the gold and remove as many impurities as possible. The molten gold can be poured into a crucible where it is kept warm while the chlorine gas bubbles up. The gas reacts with the impurities causing them to precipitate to the surface in the form of chlorides which can be skimmed off. Some also form gases that escape from the top of the crucible.
After about an hour and a half, the gold is pure enough to pour into solid bars or other archival formats. Gold treated with the Miller process is analyzed to confirm purity so the final product can be stamped to record it. For industrial processes such as gold contacts on electrical equipment, gold with a purity of 99.95% is often acceptable. Using gold produced by the Miller process can be less expensive than 99.99% gold blends, which are more time consuming and expensive.
Environmental controls can be important when working with gold. Mining, smelting and final purification can generate a variety of harmful chemicals that need to be controlled. Techniques for managing the environmental impact of gold production may include filtering industrial waste, storing chemicals in hazardous materials containers for disposal, and making refinery processes more efficient to reduce waste and usage overall. Companies using the Miller process can control their chlorine to prevent environmental contamination and worker injury while limiting waste, because chlorine can get expensive when used on an industrial scale.
Markets where gold is traded typically have strict regulations on the content and weight of gold products. This ensures consistency and prevents attempts to take advantage of traders and consumers with products that may not contain pure gold or may be underweight. Bars can be randomly analyzed and weighed to confirm they meet advertised specifications. Substitution of gold from the Miller process with other golds with a higher purity rating can be grounds for penalties.
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