Improvement of the Precious Metals Process at Takehara Refinery

Abstract

In the precious metals processing line, raw slimes including metals and silver are first decopperized and deselenized, and then converted to noble lead in the melting and settling furnace. Thereafter, it is turned into a crude silver anode by cupellation with the residual lead from the lead refining process. This crude silver is refined by electrolysis to produce electrolytic silver. Electrolytic gold is produced from the crude gold obtained from the sediments of silver electrolysis and part of it is used to produce high purity gold for electronic industry. Aside from these metals, selenium, tellurium, platinum and palladium are recovered.
Recently, We have some improvement in these processes.