What is the ICP?

Newest ICP (inductively Coupled Plasma) spectrometer takes advantage of the physical property of atomic emissions, together with the latest solid-state technology, to quickly, accurately, and consistently determine the amount of precious metal ion your scrap.
Using the ICP, American Recovery can assay in minutes what can take other refiners’ days.  In addition, this completely automated instrument minimizes the human errors and biases common in traditional assay methods.

How does the ICP work?

Every chemical element, when energized, produces a unique emissions spectrum, consisting of spectral “lines” at specific wavelengths.  The intensity (brightness) of these lines is directly proportional to quantity of metal present.  The ICP identifies the location of these lines to tell us what is present, and measures the intensity of these lines to tell us how much is present. 

What exactly do we do with your scrap?

Shipments are prepared for analysis by a combination of melting, crushing, blending, and sifting (depending on the type of scrap received), and a sample is dissolved in acid.  The solution is introduced into the high temperature (10,000°C) plasma, where the emission spectrum is produced.  State-of-the-art, solid-state detectors then read the emission spectrum, the report (simultaneously) the percentages of gold, palladium, platinum, and silver.  The entire analytical process is automated, so much so that we usually run the instrument, unattended, overnight. 

What kind of performance can you expect?

The American recovery ICP can analyze and report on over 200 samples per day, every day ensuring the fastest, most accurate assays available.  Accuracy is maintained by the frequent running of “check” samples (i.e. samples of known precious metal content); if the result is out of specification, the instrument will automatically recalibrate and recheck before the next sample is run.