Plasma method and apparatus for recovery of precious metals

1. A continuous process for obtaining a precious-metal-rich composition from a feedstock material, the process comprising the steps of:

(i) heating a feedstock material in a plasma furnace to form an upper slag layer and a lower molten metal layer,

(ii) removing the slag layer;

(iii) removing the molten metal layer;

(iv) casting the molten metal onto a casting table and allowing the removed molten metal to solidify as a solidified metal layer;

(v) fragmenting the solidified metal layer to form fragments; and

(vi) recovering a platinum-group metal-rich composition from the fragments;

wherein the feedstock material comprises a platinum-group-metal-containing material and a collector metal, said collector metal being a metal or an alloy that is capable of forming a solid solution, an alloy or an intermetallic compound with one or more platinum-group metals;

wherein the collector metal comprises iron.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the platinum-group-metal-containing material comprises one or more of an autocatalyst, a chemical catalyst, a petrochemical catalyst, a pharmaceutical catalyst, electrical and electronic equipment waste, thermal barrier coating waste, foundry sweeps, electroplating and/or metal finishing waste, jewellery and/or jewellery process waste and dental and/or medical waste.

3. The process according to claim 1 wherein the feedstock material further comprises at least one fluxing agent selected from boron trioxide, calcium oxide, calcium carbonate, sodium oxide, potassium oxide, silicon dioxide, aluminium oxide and magnesium oxide, including mixtures of two or more thereof.

4. The process according to claim 1 wherein the heating in step (i) yields a partitioning/distribution coefficient, determined by dividing the concentration of platinum-group metals in the molten metal layer by the concentration of platinum-group metals in the slag layer, which is 500 or greater.

5. The process according to claim 4 wherein in step (i) the partitioning/distribution coefficient, determined by dividing the concentration of platinum-group metals in the molten metal layer by the concentration of platinum-group metals in the slag layer, is 1000 or greater.

6. The process according to claim 1 wherein the furnace comprises one or more plasma device, said device being a plasma torch or an electrode, which achieves a temperature of from 1200° C. to 1600° C. in the furnace, the device being precessable over the furnace contents.

7. The process according to claim 1 wherein the removed molten metal layer is solidified at an initial cooling rate of at least 200° C/s.

8. The process according to claim 1 wherein the fragments produced in step (v) have an average particle size of from 10 cm to 100 microns.

9. The process according to claim 1 wherein step (vi) is performed by eddy current separation or by magnetic separation.

10. The process according to claim 1 wherein at least a part of the platinum-group metal-rich composition is reintroduced into the process as collector metal.

11. The process according to claim 1 wherein the process further comprises the step of: (vii) refining the platinum-group metal-rich composition to obtain one or more platinum-group metals.

12. The process according to claim 1 wherein the platinum-group metal-rich composition comprises an alloy, an intermetallic compound or a solid-solution of one or more platinum-group metals within the crystal structure of one or more phases of the collector metal.

13. The process according to claim 12 wherein the collector metal comprises iron.

14. The process of claim 1 performed in an apparatus comprising:

(1) a plasma furnace for heating a feedstock material;

(2) a casting table;

(3) a fragmentation device for fragmenting the cooled metal layer; and

(4) a separation unit for recovering a platinum-group metal-rich alloy from the fragments;

wherein the plasma furnace has an input port and at least one output port, is heated by one or more plasma device and is adapted to permit slag removal;

said plasma device being a plasma torch and/or electrode, and

wherein the casting table allows for continuous casting of the molten metal layer to form a solidified sheet.

15. The process of claim 14 , wherein the furnace is continuously indirectly water-cooled and has a refractory hot-face lining.

16. The process of claim 14 , wherein the plasma device uses a gas comprising an inert gas to produce a plasma arc that may be focused adjustably across the surface of the contents of the furnace.

17. The process of claim 14 , wherein the separation unit is a magnetic separator or an eddy current separation unit.

18. The process of claim 1 , wherein the solidified metal layer in step (iv) has a thickness between 1 mm and 30 mm.

19. The process of claim 1 , wherein the fragments comprise fragments of platinum-group metal-rich composition and fragments of slag.