Gold is considered a currency that has proven itself in times of crisis. This has been the case for centuries. It stands for eternity and is not only popular as jewelry, but also in industry, including the electrical industry. However, gold is often mined under catastrophic conditions for people and nature. Therefore, reprocessing plays an important role – it is the domain of the gold and silver refinery C. Hafner. “We have always only used scrap gold and no mine material. This significantly reduces the risk potential,” says managing partner Philipp Reisert.
By risk potential, the business economist means the negative headlines that often accompany gold extracted from mines: child labor, environmental pollution, inhumane working conditions. The medium-sized company, which reprocesses 20 to 30 tons of gold a year, avoids all of this. In addition, platinum, palladium and silver are recycled. The scrap gold is melted in refineries and separated using a chemical process with a mix of hydrochloric and nitric acid, the so-called aqua regia. It is then converted back into its purest metallic form. Because gold is usually associated with other materials such as silver, copper and zinc or occurs in alloys, this is a highly complex process.