We have become accustomed to the fact that every time an electronic device stops working, the most normal thing is to throw it away or forget it in a drawer. But did you know that many of these devices have 22 carat gold inside? As you read, now, researchers at ETH Zurich have discovered an innovative way to extract it, proving that in our homes there is a mine of precious metals hidden among electronic waste!
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How is it possible to extract gold from devices?
As we said, scientists at ETH Zurich have developed a new method that uses denatured whey proteins (yes, similar to what we find in the dairy industry) to capture gold ions in electronic circuits. Basically, they have created a special “sponge” that absorbs this metal so that recovering this material is much more ecological than how it has been done until now.
So, with this technique, these scientists have managed to extract a 22 carat gold nugget from 20 motherboards from old computers!!
How much gold is there in our devices?
You may think that the amount of gold in a single device is minimal, but how many devices are generated and thrown away every year? We add up to millions of electronic waste per year… and this new method could recover up to 50 dollars in gold…
An ecological alternative to mining
This new process is not only efficient, but it is also much more sustainable than traditional mining because the latter is an industry that generates large amounts of toxic waste and has a high environmental impact, and we would not be mistreating the mines. So, this system, instead of directly extracting gold from mines, would reuse what has already been extracted, and we could reeducate ourselves to create a much more responsible consumption model for our planet.
How is gold extracted in both cases?
To extract gold from electronic devices, the gold-containing parts, such as motherboards, are first disassembled. These parts are then dissolved in a special solution that separates the metals. Instead of using harmful chemicals, there are more environmentally friendly methods that trap only the gold. Finally, the recovered metal is heated until it forms a pure gold nugget.
In mining, extracting gold is a more complicated and environmentally aggressive process. First, the earth is dug up in search of rocks containing gold (open-pit mines or in underground galleries). Then, those rocks are crushed into powder and mixed with chemicals such as cyanide or mercury, which help separate the gold from the rest of the minerals.
Once it has been isolated, the gold is melted at high temperatures to obtain ingots or small nuggets of pure gold.
Comparing both processes, we see that the second is much more corrosive to nature, which is why many companies are looking for more ecological alternatives that allow us to continue using gold without compromising our planet.
If you ever wondered what happens to the electronic devices we throw away, the answer is that even if we think they are useless, we are wasting something very valuable and that has created a huge ecological (and economic) impact to manufacture. With this technology developed by ETH Zurich, gold recycling could become a new market practice. So, next time you are going to throw away an electronic device, remember that you could be throwing away something much more valuable than you think!! UnionRayo
