Article DetailsTHE ROLE OF ASSAYING |
| Date Added: August 11, 2009 08:39:16 AM |
| Author: Kevin Beirne |
| Category: Business & Economy |
| In conjunction with spent catalyst sampling procedures, accurate and repeatable assaying procedures also play a major role in determining precise values of remaining precious metals. Once the final samples are obtained, sophisticated instrumentation is used to measure their precise precious metals content. Among the equipment and methods used in a well-equipped analytical laboratory is X-ray fluorescence, which is helpful in identifying contaminates that may have an affect on the assaying or refining steps. This is especially important since a refiner has many different customers that use a variety of catalysts for different processes. Other instrumentation and methods employed by a well-equipped analytical laboratory include: atomic absorption (AA) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) emission spectroscopy as well as classical volumetric, gravimetric, and fire assay techniques. By utilizing a combination of these methods, an assayer is able to provide the most thorough and precise approach for determining precious metals content in spent catalyst materials. In general, the types of materials being analyzed determine the specific techniques used for assaying. After sampling and analysis, the total value of the entire spent catalyst lot is determined, and agreed upon between the refiner and its customer. Kevin M. Beirne is author of this article on Catalyst. Find more information about Platinum here. |
