Silver recovery services
StoneX Metals Ltd is one of the leading silver recovery companies in the UK, a recycler, processor and refiner specializing in silver recovery and the refining and trace amounts of other precious metals.
Sustainable & efficient silver recovery solutions
At StoneX Metals Ltd, we specialize in the economic, efficient recovery and purification of silver from a variety of industrial waste streams, ensuring maximum yield with minimal environmental impact.
Recovery materials
Our advanced silver recovery processes allow us to recover silver in various forms including:
Metal scrap
Prepared or unprepared Ash
Wet Sludges – biological, chemical precipitate, filter cake or centrifuged
Wet or dry Ion Exchange Resins, Silver Chloride, Silver Sulfide, Residues
Silver Catalysts from Ethylene Oxide or Formaldehyde manufacturing
Prepared Sweeps
Silver inks, Silver pastes and jars
Silver impregnated wipes
Graphic Arts Film & Paper
Industrial X-ray Film, Medical X-ray Film – conventional & laser
Industrial film
Silver impregnated bandage production waste
Photographic Film and Paper waste – edge trims, rejects, damaged, outdated, boxed, sheets, rolls
Water treatment sludges – biological, chemical precipitate, filter cake or centrifuged
Recovery Process residues
Electronics recycling/e-waste
Our silver recovery process
Our recovery process is based on a traditional pyrometallurgical smelting operation. Combustible materials are incinerated in controlled conditions to produce an ash. This ash is mixed with other silver bearing materials including Sweeps, Sludges and Residues. The resultant mix is combined with lead and fluxes and charged into a shaft furnace. The reaction and combination of the charge produces a lead/silver alloy which is refined further in the cupellation furnace, resulting in a 98%+ silver cupellation bar.
Secure facility
Securing our customer’s materials and precious metals is paramount and StoneX has the following measures in place:
- Continuous (24/7) manned security presence
- CCTV, card access and alarms where metals are stored and handled
- Security search and metal scanning of all persons leaving the production site
- High security vault, fitted with alarms, cameras, and smoke-cloak for storage
Sampling and Assaying
SML is certified by the LBMA for its assaying capability
A fully equipped and versatile sampling department prepares and samples all incoming customer materials. Incineration, calcination, drying, milling, and melting procedures are utilised to obtain a fully representative quality sample of the lot of material. A final quality sample is assayed in a modern laboratory. Silver contents are determined for each consignment of material received. The sampling can be witnessed. Assaying is carried out according to classical fire assay techniques and universally accepted chemical methods.
Incineration
Suitable combustible materials containing silver are incinerated in a rotary kiln incinerator. The combustion conditions are maintained automatically with operational data logging and retrieval by computer. The calorific value of the raw material sustains combustion and therefore no fuel is required. Exhaust gases are cleaned by a dry filter plant before discharge to the atmosphere through an exhaust stack. Particulate emissions to atmosphere are continuously monitored with routine gas and metal emissions monitoring conducted as required by our environmental operating permit.
Smelting services
Dried/calcined sludge & residues, prepared sweeps, some wet materials and lower grade metallics, are mixed with ashes and recycled dusts, and are smelted in a coke fired blast furnace.Oxygen-enriched air is blown into a 1400°C blast furnace, providing the high temperature necessary. A crucible at the furnace’s base continuously collects and separates the slag (impurities) from the metal alloy.
Silver Cupellation
The blast furnace produces lead-silver alloy containing up to 50% silver. The lead is separated from the silver in a bottom-blown cupel. Oxygen is continuously blown through the molten metal to separate the alloy, converting the lead content into lead oxide (litharge). The process continues until the silver is 98%+ pure. The litharge is recycled. The remaining silver is poured, weighed, sampled, and transferred to the electrolytic refinery.
Fire Assaying
The term “fire assay” describes a quantitative procedure in which a fusion is used to separate the precious metals from a known amount of sample. This method is the standard for determining gold and silver in ores, concentrates, and a variety of metal alloys:
- A sample is weighed into a crucible and blended with a mixture of dry lead-based chemicals.
- The crucible is heated in a 1000°C furnace where the precious metals are separated from the non-precious metal contaminants which are carried off into the slag.
- The precious metals lead mix is heated to 950°C in a cupel. The lead oxidizes, which separates itself from the precious metals. A precious metal ‘dore’ bead is produced.
- The bead is weighed, Nitric acid is added to it which dissolves the silver but does not affect gold. The difference in the before and after weight is the weight of the silver.
The laboratory can also analyse Platinum Group Metals using nickel collection. Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP OES) can also be used to measure PGMs in a solution.
Recovery Schematic
StoneX’s silver recovery process is based on a traditional pyrometallurgical smelting operation.
Why choose StoneX Metals Limited Recovery Services?
Capabilities to take a wide variety of feedstocks
Materials include photographic film and paper waste, sludges, sweeps, inks, x-ray waste, electronics, e-waste and more.
Environmental responsibility
We adhere to strict Environment Agency regulations and prioritize sustainability.
Trusted expertise
Decades of experience in handling complex waste streams.
Secure & compliant process
Fully certified recovery services and methods that meet industry standards.
Integration with wider StoneX services
From physical trading to risk solutions, we are backed by the leading global financial services of StoneX Group, Inc.
The environment
We have a responsibility to monitor and manage our environmental performance to a high standard, for the benefit of our customers, employees and the wider community. We take this responsibility very seriously and seek to ensure satisfactory performance by our own internal monitoring program, and by welcoming Environment Agency and customer audits.
The Environment Agency issues an Environmental Permit to which we must adhere in order to manage any associated environmental impacts. To ensure compliance, we monitor our environmental performance internally via our Environmental Management System, and through Environment Agency audits. We are also accredited with ISO 14001:2015, which is internationally recognized standard for measuring your EMS.
View our environmental permit, 14001 Certificate, Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Pre-Consent authorization, Waste Registration Document and other safety and regulation documents here.
Site environmental controls
- Documented Environmental Policy, Operating Procedures & Emergency Response and Business Continuity Plans
- Secure site bounded by perimeter walls and drainage channels
- Surface water collection and recirculation system
- Abatement plant for process emissions with continuous monitoring of particulates and periodic monitoring of stack emissions
- Energy monitoring
- Full traceability of all incoming and outgoing waste transfers
StoneX Metals Ltd disclosures
Investing in precious metals carries inherent risks, including market fluctuations, liquidity changes, and regulatory considerations. StoneX is committed to transparency and compliance, providing disclosures to help clients make informed decisions.
Press release
'StoneX completes acquisition of JBR Recovery’s recycling and refining business, to deepen the company’s end-to-end metals offering'
StoneX Metals Limited Recovery location
For detailed instructions to our location, please click below.
Silver refining services
At StoneX Refining, we receive 98%+ high-grade silver in various forms and convert it to 99.99% pure ‘Good Delivery’ silver bars.
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