EXTRACTION AND REFINING

OF SILVER

METHODS OF

EXTRACTION

1. Extraction of Silver by cyanide

process .
2.Extraction from base metals.
*copper
*lead
*zinc
3.Extraction of silver from scrap.
4.Extraction by amalgamation .

EXTRACTION OF SILVER
BY CYANIDE PROCESS
The application of the MacArthur-Forrest
process of gold extraction by solutions of
potassium cyanide has been adapted to
the extraction of silver.
The ore is crushed, concentrated and then
treated with sodium cyanide solution. This
reaction forms
sodium argentocyanide Na[Ag(CN)2].

AgS+4NaCN2Na[Ag(CN)2]+Na2S

Fig
(a)
Fig(a):-Cyanide
leaching "heap" at a mining
operation
Fig(b) nearElko, Nevada,Fig(b):-John Stewart

MacArthur developed the cyanide process for gold

extraction in 1887.

The solution of sodium argento

cyanide combines with zinc dust and

forms sodium tetra cyanozincate and
precipitated silver. This precipitated
silver is called spongy silver.
Zn+2Na[Ag(CN)2]Na2[Zn(CN)4]+2A
g
The spongy silver is fused with
potassium nitrate to obtain pure
silver. Then the silver obtained is
purified by electrolytic process.

DISADVANTAGE OF USING
CYANIDE PROCESS FOR
SILVER
In case of the cyanidation of silver
,the process requires cyanide more
on a weight basis because silver
has lower atomic weight. Also
cementation consumes more zinc
and time required for the
dissolution of ore is greater

SILVER FROM THE

BASE METALS

EXTRACTION OF SILVER FROM COPPER

SLIMES

Thesmeltingand converting of copper

sulphide concentrates result in a blister
copper that contains 97 to 99 percent of the
silver present in the original concentrate.

Upon electrolytic refining of the copper,

insoluble impurities, called slimes, gradually
accumulate at the bottom of the refining
tank. These contain the silver originally
present in the concentrate but at a much
higher concentration.

for example, a silver content of 0.2 percent

in the sulphide concentrate can result in a

slime containing 20 percent silver. This is
smelted in a small furnace to oxidize
virtually all metals present except silver,
gold, and platinum-group metals.
The metal recovered, calleddor, generally
contains 0.5 to 5 percent gold, 0.1 to 1
percent platinum metals, and the balance
silver. This metal is cast to form anodes and
electrolyzed in a solution of silver-copper
nitrate. Two different electro-refining
techniques are employed, theMoebius
andThum Balbach systems.

EXTRACTION OF SILVER FROM LEAD

BULLION (PARKES PROCESS)
Lead concentrates are first roasted

and then smelted to produce a lead

bullion from which impurities such
as antimony, arsenic, tin, and silver
must be removed.

 Silver is removed by theParkes process, which consists

of adding zinc to the molten lead bullion. Zinc reacts

rapidly and completely with gold and silver,formingvery
insoluble compounds that float to the top of the bullion.
These are skimmed off and their zinc content recovered
by vacuum retorting. The remaining lead-gold-silver
residue is treated bycupellation, a process in which the
residue is heated to a high temperature (about 800 C,
or 1,450 F) under strongly oxidizing conditions.
The noble silver and gold remain in the elemental form,
while the lead oxidizes and is removed. The gold and
silver alloy thus produced is refined by the Moebius or
Thum Balbach process. The residue from silver refining is
treated by affination or parting to concentrate the gold
content, which is refined by the Wohlwill process.

EXTRACTION OF SILVER FROM

ZINC CONCENTRATES
Zinc concentrates are roasted and then leached with

sulphuric acid to dissolve their zinc content, leaving

a residue that contains lead, silver, and goldalong
with 5 to 10 percent of the zinc content of the
concentrates.
This is processed byslag fuming, a process whereby
the residue is melted to form a slag through which
powdered coal or coke is blown along with air.
The zinc is reduced to the metallic form and is
vaporized from the slag, while the lead is converted
to the metallic form and dissolves the silver and
gold. This lead bullion is periodically collected and
sent to lead refining, as described in previous slide.

EXTRACTION OF SILVER
FROM SCRAP
Approximately 60 percent of all silver produced is used

in the photographic industry, and the metal can be

recycled from spent photographic processing solutions
and photographicfilm. The solutions are processed onsite electrolytically, while film is burned and the ashes
leached to extract the silver content.

High-grade jewellery scrap is usually realloyed on-site

rather than being refined. Jewellery sweeps, the fine

dust generated in the polishing andgrindingof precious
metals, are usually smelted to form an impure silver,
which is electro refined. Because of the much lower
value of silver scrap, recycling techniques applicable to

EXTRACTION BY
AMALGAMATION PROCESS
Amalgamation Processes include

those in which the silver is

obtained as an amalgam with
mercury, from which it is recovered
by distillation and volatilising the
mercury.

REFINING OF SILVER
The refining of silver is done

mainly by electrolytic refining, as

mentioned earlier dore metal
obtained from the copperslimes
can be refined by moebius and
thum-balbach processes in these
processes the purity level of silver
reaches from 80-98%to 99.99%.

MOEBIUS PROCESS
The electro refining silver in a Moebius cell is similar

to that of electro refining but here the anode is

completely dissolved and the gold mud is removed
without handling of any partially dissolved anodes. The
cell is conventional except that the anodes are placed
in a basket made of a thermo- plastic material and
surrounded by a cloth, the electrical contact between
the anode and the power source takes place outside
the electrolyte. The bottom of the basket is provided
with apertures allowing the gold mud produced to fall
into the cloth until the anode is completely dissolved.

In case of moebius cell the electrodes are

anode as dore metals and the cathode as

carbon(graphite). The electrolyte basically
we use as AgNO[3] .The silver crystallites
produced in cathode are washed and dried.
Then the silver obtained is melted and cast
into barsPaul
for Julius
sale.
Moebius,
inventor of this
process

Moebius
cell

THUM-BALBACH PROCESS
The Thum-Balbach process is similar to
that of the Moebius process, the major
difference between them is.
*In case of Thum-Balbach process the
electrodes are in
horizontal to the
surface of the cell. whereas in case of the
Moebius process the electrodes are vertical
to the surface of the electrolytic cell.
* The gap between the electrodes is more
in Thum-albach
process than in Moebius process.
* Also the cell voltage is high in this process

Moebius and Balbach-Thum

cells for silver refining