Hi, I have approximately 7.8 lbs of silver sludge from black and white film development in a plastic bottle. Can this be refined? If so, how much is it worth? From Kent in St. Louis, Missouri

Hi Kent,

Thanks for your question. Silver sludge generated during film development can be refined and Arch Enterprises does process this type of material regularly. We normally recommend a minimum of at least 5 pounds of the sludge material to justify the freight and refining costs so you should be in luck … especially since you are located near our refining facility.

The value of the silver sludge will depend on how much silver is available to refine. Photographic sludge often contains about 60 to 80 percent silver, but we can determine a more accurate percentage when we get it in our lab and run analytical tests.

We have more information about refining industrial precious metal on our website.