Method and apparatus for recovery of noble metals from activated carbon@

摘要

The method concerns recovery of noble metals from contaminated activated carbon by means of combustion. Under a below-atmospheric pressure, activated carbon is freed from evaporable components belonging to the group of highly volatile hydrocarbons, water, hydrocarbons with a higher boiling point, and organic halogen compounds. The evaporable components are condensed. Then, in an oxidizing atmosphere, the active carbon with noble metals is burned into carbon dioxide, and the noble metals are removed from the combustion zone. Also claimed is an apparatus for implementation of the method. The apparatus has - in a vacuum chamber (1) - an inner chamber (6) with at least two electrodes (8, 9) which are displaceable relative to one another, and at least one heater resistor (12).