Patent ID: 8268232

Claim:
An apparatus for dissolving noble metals from a noble metal to be dissolved, selected from Au, Pt, Pd, Ru, Os or a combination thereof, which comprises: a sealed dissolution reactor provided with agitators; a sealed electrolysis chlorine producing unit connected with the dissolution reactor through a chlorine supplying line (L 1 ), and supplying chlorine gas (Cl 2 ) produced via electrolysis to a liquid inside the dissolution reactor through the chlorine supplying line (L 1 ); a pH adjusting unit connected with the dissolution reactor through a line, and controlling and maintaining the pH of the liquid inside the dissolution reactor; and an inorganic material extraction unit connected with the dissolution reactor through a line, and extracting inorganic materials from the liquid received from the dissolution reactor via heating and evaporation; wherein the pH adjusting unit controls the pH of the liquid inside the dissolution reactor in such a manner that at least one chlorine compound selected from a group consisting of Cl 2 (aq), Cl 3 − , HClO, ClO − , NaClO, KClO and LiClO is produced, wherein the noble metal in a noble metal-containing sample introduced into the dissolution reactor is dissolved by the at least one chlorine compound, wherein the inorganic material extraction unit connected with the dissolution reactor through a liquid reintroduction line (L 2 ), and the liquid evaporated from the inorganic material extraction unit is recycled to the dissolution reactor through the liquid reintroduction line (L 2 ), wherein the electrolysis chlorine producing unit comprises an electrolyte containing a Cl-containing acid or alkali metal chloride, and an anode and a cathode separated by an ion exchange membrane, and the chlorine gas (Cl 2 ) produced at the anode is supplied to the dissolution reactor through the chlorine supplying line (L 1 ), and wherein the sealed electrolysis chlorine producing unit connected with a heater through a hydrogen gas supply line (L 4 ), and hydrogen gas (H 2 ) is produced at the cathode, and the hydrogen gas is supplied to the heater for the inorganic material extraction unit as a heating source through the hydrogen gas supply line.