How To Extract Hard Alloy?

Extracting hard alloy, such as tungsten carbide, involves several steps to reclaim valuable metals. Here is an overview of the typical extraction process:

1. Crushing and Grinding:

- The waste hard alloy is first crushed into smaller pieces using mechanical crushers.

- These pieces are then ground into fine particles, typically around 1-5 microns in size, using ball mills .

2. Chemical Leaching:

- The ground particles undergo chemical leaching, often with acids, to dissolve the binder metals (like cobalt) and other metallic components.

- This step helps to separate the metal from the carbide matrix .

3. Separation and Purification:

- Techniques such as precipitation, solvent extraction, or ion exchange are used to isolate the dissolved metals from the leach solution.

- The separated metals, such as tungsten and cobalt, are further purified to obtain high-purity end products .

4. Recycling and Reuse:

- The purified metals can be processed to create new alloys or other products, promoting sustainable use and reducing the need for raw material extraction .

This combination of mechanical and chemical processes ensures efficient recovery of valuable metals from hard alloys.