To: LoneClone who wrote (49219 ) 9/19/2007 2:32:57 PM From: E. Charters Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 78419 No way of telling with silver locked in silica what you can do unless you know the grade, release size, rock, etc. You need 50 tons to work on in a lab for about a year. That could cost you 700K just to find out what's up. Dangerous to propose something even to the most honorable, as the best suggestions will no doubt find their way into the 'winning proposal'. The standard technique used to be to take it to Mills and Crowe and pay them the ten million as they had proved themselves. There aren't many Mills and Crowes around today. I doub't it is high enough grade for HPAL, and smelting won't work because of energy problems. Ditto high temp gas. In the 1870's they had this problem with gold and they tried high/low pressure leach with chlorine, bromine, oxidizers with HPAL, direct smelt etc.. They had 3 ounces gold per ton and nothing worked. They got 10% recovery with chlorine in HPAL in barrels at Butte on 3000 mesh gold in silica. There the gold sits to this day at $2100 a ton, no takers, too fine to grind and too high energy and low grade to smelt. I think there is a way to investigate but it would cost a few shekels to test. Combi cogen roast, grind the crap outta, and high tech energy. But it ain't ABC as it would take one million testing at least. All one can say in a proposal is maybe and that won't get you the brass ring from Barrick. You can't touch silica without HF and that has 11 foot pole marks all over it. I can just see a 1200 degree HF gas plant. Hew Haw. I wouldn't live in the next state downwind. Of course they use to do chlorine and phosgene all the time in plants, but HF is nasty stuff. There is a way you can roast the bejeesus out of it and it doesn't cost a cent in process as it has byproduct, but it takes special reagants/downstream 'work' and an "innovative" roaster design. I doubt it can be done on low grade stuff. Give me 10 ounces AG per ton and I might do it. Maybe. It all depends on release size and grade. If it comes out at 100 mesh then I could do it eyes closed at 2 ounces. Dicey but worth a shot. EC<:-}