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Electrolytic Silver Recovery / MBX Systems

Metafix provides a range of silver recovery equipment systems to meet your operations specific requirements and budget. More importantly we provide you with the ongoing maintenance, desilvering and refining service, giving you total piece of mind environmentally, ensuring compliance and maximising your return on silver revenue.

METAFIX MBX SYSTEM

The Metafix Processor Monitoring and Effluent Control System (MBX) has been developed as a completely new solution to automatically monitor your processors chemical balance and usage whilst maximising silver yield. With quality assurance in NDT being of paramount importance, the correct processing of X-Ray film is an important link in the chain which can now be monitored.

 

While studying the industrial x-ray process, we discovered that pH is an important indicator of proper processor replenishment rates. The ideal replenishment rate has a unique pH; the MBX system collects and monitors the pH of the overflow developer and fixer.

 

By doing so, the customer can be alerted if their processor is being under or over replenished. The system also tracks the volume of the overflow. This helps to accurately track the amount of films processed and chemistry used, a very useful audit trail. With this information we can precisely determine the life of our patented silvery recovery columns. This avoids any compliance issue and enables us to correctly predict and maximize silver recovered.

 

The MBX system recovers silver from the combined developer and fixer discharge, (a proven Metafix patented process) by controlled pumping of the solution through Metawool cartridges that efficiently trap silver.

 

Maximum silver trapping capacity:

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  • 250 grams of silver per hour (two cartridge configuration)

  • 125 grams of silver per hour (one cartridge configuration)

ELECTROLYTIC SYSTEMS 

The ARU series of electrolytic silver recovery systems are designed to meet the environmental needs of NDT, medical x-ray, graphic arts and black and white photo facilities.

 

Featuring state of the art digital microprocessor controls, digital display and keypad for easy calibration and information storage.

 

These models automatically control and optimise plating current as the silver concentration varies in the fixer solution.

 

Maximum plating capacities:

 

  • ARU 700 -      25.8 grams of silver per hour

  • ARU 1200 -    44.3 grams of silver per hour

  • ARU 2100 -    77.5 grams of silver per hour

COLENTA SILVERFIT 40 

The Colenta SilverFit 40 uses up to date technology incorporating microprocessor based algorithms for high efficiency electrolytic silver recovery.

 

By using with a Colenta processor, the Colenta SilverFit 40 allows the possibility of an online interface connection whereby the values such as replenishment rates, number of replenish cycles, process monitoring and error code management are under continuous supervision.

 

  • Maximum plating capacity:  13 grams of silver per hour

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METAFIX OL ELECTROLYTIC SYSTEMS 

The OL recovers silver directly from the fixer in the film processors fixer tank, resulting in a more efficient fixer. This increase in efficiency enables a reduction in fixer replenishment by up to 70%. Very low silver levels in the fixer tank means virtually no carry over of silver into the wash water, which eliminates the need to de-silver the wash water before discharge to the drain.

With the optional secondary de-silvering cartridge (MiX 2000P), the OL series allows users to meet and exceed the most stringent discharge legislation.

The OL systems monitor and record data from the silver recovery process, information that can be easily downloaded to a printer or PC. This enables accurate reports to be compiled via Metafix DataTrax, showing fixer discharge volume, replenishment volume, projected silver returns and more.

The OL’s feature a circulation pump that maintains positive solution movement between the unit and the processor. This ensures hard, consistent, high quality silver plating and is especially important to ensure silver is still recovered when the processors circulation goes into standby.

The Unit can be taken off line with the simple turn of a valve making the unit a batch processing system.

Unique to the OL systems is an output bellows pump that meters spent fixer to either a secondary treatment system, holding tank or to drain.

Metafix ON-LINE systems have a positive impact on the environment. Reduced consumption of photo chemicals and therefore chemical waste, together with silver level discharge to the drain of less than 1ppm both help to reduce the impact on the environment.

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  • Capable of servicing two processors with or without circulation pumps

  • On-Board holding tank

  • Reduces replenishment rate by up to 70%

  • Waste fixer is metered out and not dependant on drain height

  • Secondary treatment can be easily added

  • Circulates de-silvered fixer back to the processor via a J hook

  • Can be operated off line

  • Downloadable database records when and how much fixer has been used

  • Dimensions: 29”H x 15.5”D x 17”W

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  • Maximum plating capacity:  7 grams of silver per hour

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