Process for recovering silver from photographic solutions

Abstract

Silver is recovered from a mixture of seasoned photoprocessing solutions by contacting the solutions with a mercapto-s-triazine or water-soluble salt thereof, the mercapto-s-triazine having the formula ##STR1## wherein: R is hydrogen, --NH.sub.4, --OH, alkyl having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, alkoxy having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, phenyl, cyclohexyl, oxazinyl, phenoxy, --NR'.sub.2 or SR"; wherein R' is hydrogen, alkyl having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, phenyl, cyclohexyl, naphthyl or benzyl; and wherein R" is alkyl having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, phenyl, cyclohexyl, naphthyl or benzyl; m is an integer from 1 to 3; and n is 0 or an integer from 1 to 2. Using these compounds, silver ion complexes with the compound of formula I and the complex can be allowed to settle and separated from the solutions to decrease silver ion concentration in the solutions. The mixture of solutions includes a seasoned stabilizer solution and other seasoned solutions, including bleach, bleach-fix, and developer.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.