Researchers from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland have discovered a way to separate gold from phones, laptops, and other electronics safely, using low-toxic chemicals. This could be a massive leap forward in the world of recycling as the new technique doesn’t use the harmful chemicals that are utilized in many of the other gold recovery methods.
Gold is a good conductor of electricity, hence why it is used often do throughout the electronics industry. But, as quick as we go through these products, many of them are never recycled and therefore precious gold just sits wasting away in a landfill somewhere. Statistics show that around 6,000 phones could contain as much as 11 ounces of gold. When the current cost of gold is around $1,300 and ounce, that adds up to a lot of money that is just being thrown away.
But, with the new eco-friendly process designed by the Scottish research group, the team are hoping to be able to turn things around. The process involves the electronic parts that contain gold being placed into a mild acid where it sets to work separating the gold from the object. An oily liquid is then added to the mix that selects the gold, transfers it from the acid to the oily solvent where the gold is then recovered.
As good as the process is, it’s unclear whether or not it will catch on or whether people will continue to use smelters to recover the gold from electronics. Currently, smelters would inevitably the cheaper option, but if the researchers can find a way to bring the costs down then maybe we will see this process being used more and more across the country.
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