Apparatus for recovery of silver from spent photographic solutions

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR THE RECOVERY OF SILVER VALUES FROM SPENT PHOTOGRAPHIC SOLUTIONS CONTAINING SILVER IN SOLUTION COMPRISING A STAINLESS STEEL VESSEL DIVIDED INTO THREE SUPERIMPOSED SECTIONS, LOWER CENTRAL AND UPPER, THE CENTRAL SECTION BEING SEPARATED FROM THE OTHERS BY STAINLESS STEEL PERFORATED DIVIDERS AND HAVING THE FREE SPACE THERE BETWEEN SUBSTANTIALLY FILLED WITH A FLUID PERMEABLE FREE METAL CONTAINING MEDIUM, SAID METAL BEING ABOVE SILVER IN THE ELECTROMOTIVE SERIES, AN INLET DUCT COMMUNICATING WITH THE LOWER SECTION, AN OUTLET DUCT LEADING FROM THE UPPER SECTION, A STAINLESS STEEL PIPE COMMUNICATING WITH THE LOWER AND UPPER SECTIONS ONLY, SAID PIPE EXTENDING INTO SAID UPPER SECTION AND HAVING A DISCHARGE OUTLET AT A LEVEL ABOVE THE LEVEL OF SAID OUTLET DUCT WHEREBY TO PERMIT THE FREE FLOW OF FLUID OUT OF SAID PIPE WHEN THE FLUID PERMEABLE MEDIUM BECOMES CLOGGED, AND A COVER REMOVABLY SECURED TO THE OPEN UPPER END OF SAID VESSEL.