How is Silver mined? This statement is unambiguous: Silver is scarce. It is also the most precious and scarce of all precious metals. You also know that Silver is rarely found in its purest form, Native Silver. It was 2,750 Pounds in Troy and was the largest known silver nugget.
Today, Silver is made from three primary resources:
- Silver Mining
- Silver as a side-product
- Silver from recycled materials
Modern Day Silver Mining
What do you know? You know what? Silver ores are only found in small quantities. To extract just a few ounces of Silver, a lot of material is mined, even in tons. Around 80% of the world’s Silver is produced as a byproduct. It is also found in metals such as Copper, Gold and Lead. The world has approximately 300 underground and open pit silver mines.
Explosives & Blast
The explosives are used to blast the rock into pieces. These mines had been ventilated previously. These mines were previously ventilated. To learn more, we recommend Honey Badger Silver .
Sodium Cyanide, and Zinc
Many methods can be used to extract silver from ore. Any ore containing Silver and Gold is treated with a Sodium Cyanide solution. Sodium Cyanide is able to dissolve both of these metals. The solution is then added to powdered Zinc. This will allow precious metals to form a sludge. The sludge can then be collected and refined to separate the metals.
Cupellations by Chaldeans
The crushed ore is heated in this manner on a porous bone ash bed. It is heated until it melts. All impurities including Lead are absorbed into bone ash and then the molten Silver is drawn out. This is how the process works and you get Silver.
Froth flotation Process
This process was discovered in the early 20 century. This involves crushing the ore and settling it in a bath. The mixture is then blown through by air bubbles. This helps to carry the Silver over the bath. The froth is formed when the Silver begins to form. This froth is then skimmed and melted to separate the other metals.
The Bottom Line
There are many ways to extract Silver. Explosives can be used to blast the rock to extract all the metals. The metals will be separated in order to find the Silver. Zinc and Sodium Cyanide are another options. Sodium Cyanide dissolves Gold and Silver. The solution is then made into a sludge by adding Zinc powder. The sludge can then be further refined. To learn more about silver mining, make sure to check out Honey Badger Silver.
Cupellations also suggests heating the ore on a porous bone ash bed until it melts. The ash absorbs impurities, so molten Silver is drawn out. According to Froth Flotation, Silver is dissolved in a bath and bubbles are blown through it. These bubbles are able to carry Silver onto the bath. The silver makes foam, which is then skimmed.
