What is the value of my “spent” cathode?
An individual cathode, by itself, as virtually no economic value. This comes as somewhat of a surprise to some, but in order for a spent cathode to have any value, it has to be refined to high purity again and put back into the metal stream. But for that to happen, a chemical analysis must be done by the refiner and by the time one factors in not only the cost of the analysis, but also the set up to melt and purify, these costs end up being far in excess of the intrinsic value of any gold in a spent gold cathode. However, a large number of cathodes, if melting together, and one analysis done of the batch, then not only does the reclamation of this gold become economically viable, but we are all, both individually and also, institutionally, doing our part to keep this non-renewable resource part of the gold metal stream. Therefore, be sure you consider participation in the SPI Supplies sputter coater cathode recycling program. 7. Are there ways to extend the useful lifetime of my cathod
