Many electronic devices, such as smartphones, computers and televisions, contain small amounts of gold in their components. (Photo: Interesting Engineering)
JAKARTA – Scientists have found an easy way to get gold without having to go to the trouble of mining in the bowels of the earth. Namely by extracting gold content from electronic devices that are no longer used.
Many electronic devices, such as smartphones, computers, and televisions, contain small amounts of gold in components such as connectors, circuit boards, and integrated circuits, but are usually considered electronic waste.
When these devices are no longer used, they are immediately thrown away and the gold attached to these electronic devices is lost. Efforts to extract gold from electronic waste have not yet been possible because they often require very toxic chemicals.
However, a team led by Professor Mezzenga from ETH found an extraordinary solution. They use byproducts from the cheese-making process to extract gold from e-waste.
Turns cheese into gold
Reporting from Interesting Engineering, Saturday (3/2/2024), Professor Mezzenga explained this method of extracting gold using whey protein. Whey protein is the liquid that remains after milk is cut and strained during cheese production. This material contains protein, lactose, vitamins and minerals.
In the simulation, the researchers used whey protein to create a sponge that pulled gold from used computer motherboards that dissolved in acid. The sponge does a better job of attaching to gold ions than other metals because of the special structure of these proteins.
After absorbing it’s not , the material is turned into small pieces and melted to create lumps. Surprisingly, from 20 motherboards, the team got lumps weighing 450 milligrams and 91 percent pure gold. The researchers believe this process can be used on a large scale.
“The fact I like most is that we use food industry byproducts to get gold from e-waste,” Mezzenga wrote in the journal Advanced Materials.
Recycling e-waste and creating value from these waste materials is in line with circular economy principles. Recycling e-waste is becoming increasingly important not only for environmental reasons, but also for recycling valuable materials. This is a remarkable breakthrough where waste is reduced and valuable resources are recovered sustainably. Mining of natural resources can also be minimized so that environmental impacts can be reduced.
(msf)
2024-03-02 13:30:31
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