Is Your Company Washing Gold Down the Drain?

Each day, many jewelry manufacturers flush gold and other precious metals down the drain. This frequently occurs when polishers wash their hands. Metal particles can be found in tumbling water and ultrasonic cleaning fluids as well. Wastewater may contain substantial amounts of gold; we discovered that a factory in New York was releasing over 3.5 ounces per week. That's no different than throwing away $250,000 every year! Metals in this water can also harm the environment and trigger government fines.

This problem remains quite common, even among manufacturers that use settling tanks. Ultrasonic fluids often prevent such tanks from working properly. These detergents cause gold and silver particles to float instead of falling to the bottom. Fortunately, it's possible to prevent this from happening. Factory owners may install separate equipment that collects and processes ultrasonic cleaning liquids. In addition to recovering metals from the used detergent, this strategy enables settling tanks to perform much more reliably.

It's very difficult to filter ultrasonic solutions; special equipment, training and chemicals are necessary. However, many jewelry manufacturers find that these investments quickly pay off. They can comply with state environmental regulations and recover at least 90 percent of the precious metals in their wastewater. Our company helps businesses that need effective gold refining and recovery systems. To learn more, please contact Jewelers Refining Group today.