I know that x-ray film contains silver and can be sold/recycled, but is the same true for standard film?

Question

I'm going to be digitalizing hundreds of slides and movie film. Once I do that, I'm going to throw the film away UNLESS there is some value to it. Is there any silver in the film that gives it any value? Is it enough to sell? Is there any desire for it as a recycle product...and if so who would take it?

Thanks for your thoughts.

BTW, I don't know if this was the best category to put this question, but I couldn't find one that seemed to fit any better.

Answer 1

it's also true for regular photographic and movie film, but as far as i know the silver is there only it its undeveloped state. once the film is processed and images appear, the silver is already gone. if you have film yet to be developed, there will be dissolved silver in your chemical solutions after processing. even so, the silver is there probably in minute amounts. i think it's only cost effective for the major developers that process millions of rolls at a time. but it sounds like everything you have is already processed, in which case i don't think there is any silver left.

i am curious, however, what kind of subjects your slides and film cover, and whether or not you would think that a library, archives, museum or historical society might be interested in them for their cultural value. i'm asking as a librarian/archivist/curator myself...

Answer 2

You are absolutely right the photographic films do contain Silver, which on being processed gets dissolved and pass out into the developer solution.And as far as I know, through the process of electrolysis of this developer solution, Silver is extracted in pure form.In the electrolysis,one pole is a silver metal electrode,over which the silver from the solution gets deposited.But as regards films I am not sure how the remaining silver is extracted.For information you can find out a suitable site like Kodak and get this information.

Answer 3

Our diagnostic imaging branch has to shop affected person's x-ray action pictures for 8 years after the learn date. each and every twelve months we purge previous x-ray action pictures for their silver content textile. We controlled to reclaim 3 or 4 bars of silver yet i do no longer comprehend what proportion action pictures it took to get that a lot. It became executed for us by utilising an exterior business enterprise. most of the silver became recovered as a "sludge" from the waste chemical compounds from the movie processors. Now-a-days the dep. has long gone "digital" and the quantity of x-ray movie is diminishing.

Answer 4

Definitely. I used to work in a photo lab and they collected all the old film and used chemicals. I can't remember who used to buy it as it was a long while back. You need a lot of it though I seem to remember.

Answer 5

If you don't understand a question, DON'T ANSWER IT! How hard is that to do?