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Date:         Sat, 4 Jun 2016 11:04:51 -0500
Reply-To:     John Rodgers <jrodgers113@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Rodgers <jrodgers113@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Catalytic converters
In-Reply-To:  <CA+az7_6UQYTT-OHHdmkEQAZ8BP_6Z76ooH-OkvFp9CTysZ8LpA@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

Cruised Youtube this morning and stumbled over this. Platinum mining on the side of the road.

https://youtu.be/v5GPWJPLcHg

All of us carry platinum in our vans catalytic converters. This shows how the stuff winds up on the roads, and can actually be recovered by those interested enough to pursue it. I have worked with precious metals in the past by way of jewelry, and I can tell you, jewelers go to great lengths to recover gold and platinum. They even have filters that collect the dust off of a polishing wheel, refine it, and extract the precious metals "flour" that comes off jewelry when its being polished. I have right now a coffee can full of gold and platinum flour-bearing dust collected from a polishing wheel.

When you consider the price of platnum, and the number of cars on the road, and how many miles driven by the American public, it makes you want to get out with broom and dustpan in hand and start sweeping the highways.

Similar things are done in Alaska. The corregated aluminum culvert pipes under the roads and else where act like sluice or riffle boxes and settle gold out of the runoff waters. People mine this and often find enough gold to at least pay for their trip to Alaska.

At the price of platinum today, for the ambitious this could be a way to pick up some extra shekels. 'Course you would have to learn a bit of chemistry, and get a jewelry burn out oven. But even so, it could be fun and financially rewarding.

So (Vanagon content) load the old vanagon with brooms and dust pans, and your sweeping crew, and make it out to your favorite highway spot for a bit of sweeping. You might learn something about materials, chemistry, and precious metals, if nothing else, and, you might make some bucks!

John


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