Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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What are the chemicals in proprietary gold stripper

Hello everybody,
I am a student from Malaysia. I am doing my research about the recycling of e-waste. I have a problem to identify one of the chemicals used in the company that I cooperate with. They used potassium cyanide, water, potassium hydroxide and gold stripper in extracting gold from the e-waste. What I need to know is the name and actual constituents of the gold stripper used. The company also didn't know the actual constituents of gold stripper. By the way, I already contact the supplier but they don't want to cooperate. So, maybe any expertise from here can help me. For the information, I am doing research in LCA field which a specific name and the actual constituents of this gold stripper are required to evaluate environmental impacts.

thanks and regards,
Fida
Malaysia's student

Fida Yahaya
- Malaysia
April 24, 2011

Hi, Fida. I find your situation very interesting!

We have entered an era where people are highly concerned about the makeup of proprietary chemistries because of their possible health and environmental effects, while we still live in an age where "Three people can keep a secret . . . if two of them are dead" -- Benjamin Franklin.

We certainly can't expect a supplier of proprietary gold stripper, who has invested man-years of development, to simply tell people their formula so that dozens or hundreds of other people around the world can copy it. Goodness, all expenditure on research and development would stop in its tracks. You say that the supplier won't cooperate. Have you and the company you are cooperating with offered to sign a non-disclosure agreement with the supplier, guaranteeing to reimburse them for any financial loss in the event that you became careless with their secrets and someone stole their formulation and started competing against them?

The other thing that I find interesting is the expectation that you will be able to determine the environmental impact. It seems we can't really say whether a daily glass of red wine is good for people or bad for them after thousands of years of experience and dozens of years of intense study. I am not educated in that field and am curious what the next step is after you determine the formulation. Thanks -- I find this stuff an engaging topic.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
April 25, 2011

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It is natural that the manufacturer does not want to reveal the formulation of his proprietary chemical. But he is obliged to give detailed information regarding its safe handling, disposal, and hazards involved in using. Once someone gave me a sample of metal cleaning solution. When I tried to clean glass with it I found that it contained HF! It was just etching away glass. Business interests should not compromise on ethics and put users and society in peril.

H.R. Prabhakara - Consultant
Bangalore Plasmatek - Bangalore Karnataka India
April 28, 2011

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April 29, 2011

H.R.

Here in the States, manufacturers are required to furnish an MSDS if their product contains hazardous materials defined by 49 CFR 1910.1200. While this is an OSHA enforceable standard designed for the workplace, I can purchase products from the hardware store or grocery store that are almost as nasty as the chemicals I work with. Those commercial products are required to have safety warnings to the purchaser. Lately, because people use products for purposes that the product was not intended for, the manufacturers now add a disclaimer for that reason.

What good is a warning label if the user is not going to read it?

Willie Alexander
- Colorado Springs, Colorado

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Ed. note: Very diplomatic posting, Willie. Is your tongue bleeding from biting it?