Patent ID: 8398740

Claim:
A method for the formation of fine valuable metal powder by leaching-precipitation of a material containing a valuable metal, comprising: leaching the material containing a valuable metal by means of an electrolyte solution, which contains one or more intermediary metals, wherein the electrolyte solution is an anolyte routed from an electrolytic regeneration wherein said anolyte contains said one or more intermediary metals at a high oxidation degree, to form a solution comprising the valuable metal; and precipitating the valuable metal as metallic powder using an electrolyte solution which contains said one or more intermediary metals, wherein the electrolyte solution is a catholyte solution from the same electrolytic regeneration, wherein the oxidation degree of said one or more intermediary metals is lower than in the leaching step, to form a precipitated valuable metal powder; wherein a solution containing a valuable metal is not routed to electrolysis.