How is precious metal recovery commonly achieved?

The process of precious metal recovery typically involves the method of dissolution followed by evaporation. This technique is used to extract valuable metals from various sources, such as electronic waste, spent catalysts, ores, and other materials.

In this method, precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum are first dissolved using specific chemicals, often involving cyanide or acidic solutions. This step allows the metals to be removed from the solid material and enters a liquid solution. Once the metals are in solution, the next step is evaporation. This involves heating the solution to evaporate the liquid, leaving behind the concentrated precious metals.

This combined process is highly efficient for recovering metals as it maximizes yield and ensures that the metals can be collected in a pure form after the evaporation phase. Techniques like incineration, hydrolysis, and bio-remediation do not directly achieve the same level of efficiency and recovery specific to precious metals as dissolution followed by evaporation does, making the latter the most relevant and accurate answer for the recovery of precious metals in this context.