a problem in metalurgy

S

snowfox

Registered Senior Member
i have been looking for a method of separating an alloy into its separate components for a while now and ive found nothing on the issue. is it even possible to separate an alloy without the addition of caustic chemicals.

so far the best theory ive come up with is recrystalization through controlled temperature fluctuation combined with seeding with the metal of the highest melting point. will this work ?
 
snowfox said:
i have been looking for a method of separating an alloy into its separate components for a while now and ive found nothing on the issue. is it even possible to separate an alloy without the addition of caustic chemicals.

so far the best theory ive come up with is recrystalization through controlled temperature fluctuation combined with seeding with the metal of the highest melting point. will this work ?
Click to expand...

What is the alloy? I do not think there is an easy way to separate the elements in steel.
 
mainly i have a plan in my head to use wind and solar to start a factory for producing bio diesel using algae. i have most of plans in order but i dont want use any new materials or atleast make it a goal to reach a point where can expand using only recycled materials
 
You can use the alloy as an anode in an electrodeposition process, but this is by no means practical. What pure metal do you need?
 
I reckon that in your effort to use recycled materials, you may very well turn out to consume more energy and produce more waste than you would by simply purchasing the components of your alloy separately.
Have you looked into that?
 
Excellent, Middle Earth dwarfs have started posting on SciForums. Welcome Thorin Oakenshield. :biggrin:
 
sounds interesting, electrodeposition would produce high purity of each metal or just one
 
as far as energy consumed is concerned, its not a problem. im going to be using the metals for the production of machines to produce energy, suh as windmills, solar condensors and hydro electric systems along side biomass production facilities from algae. if al goes as planned i can be the first land fill to use any and all resources that come my way. organics into fertilizers and burnables. metals and plastics for parts for green electricity and co2 consumption will all be cleaned and directed to the algae farms. using trash to power the economy

thnk you for the lead
 
The process of recrystallization may cause intermetallic phases to form, which complicates any proposed one-step process. To find out the elements present in your metal, go to your local lab and see if you can do an elemental analysis (SEM/EDX) - a lot of places have services for less than $100/hr. If there is a broad solubility (e.g., iron with chromium) then it would be difficult to separate the two. However, if it is an element which forms a distinct phase (such as aluminum, nitrogen, or carbon) and provided low enough nickel or platinum (which serve as ductility promoters) is present in your steel, you can try to crystallize the largest sizes possible with annealing, promote embrittlement the alloy under liquid nitrogen, and then grind it using a ball mill. The resulting powder *might* be separated by some non-thermal physical properties, like silting density or magnetism.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top