Refining

Conductors of progress

They often go unnoticed because they are concealed: they are hidden in the depth of electrical systems, in our cars, computers and medicines but also in the jewelry that we wear and in the mirrors in which we admire ourselves. They are precious, rare metals, which exist in our daily lives in quantities that we cannot even imagine.

Gold, Silver, PGM

In addition to being used to make jewelry, silver has many applications in photography, in the electronics industry and in minting, as well as a catalyst.
As gold is an excellent conductor of electricity, it plays a major role in electronic components but its main use is in the jewelry and astronautics sectors and in minting coins.
By virtue of their physiochemical properties, the Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) – platinum, rhodium, palladium, iridium, osmium and ruthenium – are widely used by industry as synthetic catalysts and in catalytic converters, electrochemical products, hard disks, pollution-control systems and pigments for ceramics.
They are also used frequently in medicine – both in pharmaceutical compounds and equipment – and in jewelry, especially on account of platinum’s high value.

recyclable materials

  • GOLD, SILVER, PGM SECTOR

    Jewelry manufacturing scrap, Gold bars, Silver bars, Gold-plated items, Silver-plated items, PGM scrap and bars, Cadmium-free contact materials, Eyeglass frames, Coins.

  • medical and dental sector

    Dental amalgams, Laboratory components and samples, Dental processing residues.

  • electrical equipment

    Hardware components, Electronic components, Gold-plated cables, Computer manufacturing scrap, Portable electronic devices, Electrical switch contact materials.

  • printing chemicals

    Exhausted catalyzers with PGM, Films.

  • other items

    Ashes to be smelted, Workbench scraps, Floor scraps, Filing dust, Sewage sludge, Aerospace components.

  • miscellaneous

    Catalytic converters, Mirror and glass manufacturing scrap, Filters, Abrasives, Boraxes, Cruscibles, Carpeting, Resins, Slag, Coal, Vacuum cleaner bags, Rags, Paper.

Preliminary treatment and sampling

High productivity process

The entire recovery cycle, from the incineration of scrap to the treatment of industrial runoff, is entirely managed in TCA’s plants using a constantly monitored process and latest generation equipment which undergoes thorough maintenance regularly in order to keep operating at maximum capacity.

Transparency above all

The most important stage of precious metal recovery consists of sampling, i.e. identifying the sample representing the processing scrap that will serve to determine the value of the whole batch.
Sampling is essential for the accurate quantification of the real content of precious metals in scrap and the economic value to correspond to the customer.
TCA’s approach to this delicate operation is based on maximum transparency and professional competence.

Refining production cycle

From waste to metals in 5 moves

Not all materials undergo the same treatment: some require incineration while others are directed straight to the smelting or chemical area. Part of the industrial scrap – classified according to the European Waste Catalogue codes – is incinerated in the large static furnaces before continuing to the metallurgic treatment stage and then smelted in the rotator furnaces. The resulting metal part is transferred from the metallurgical area to the chemical area, where it is transformed into a solution from which the precious metals are extracted.
  1. WEIGHING OF THE BATCH OF INDUSTRIAL SCRAP
  2. PRELIMINARY TREATMENT
  3. CREATION OF A UNIFORM SAMPLE
  4. ANALYSIS
  5. REFINING OF GOLD, SILVER, PLATINUM, RHODIUM, PALLADIUM, COPPER
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