Chinese scientists have developed an environmentally friendly and efficient way to extract gold from old electronics. The new technology makes it possible to recover more than 98% of gold and palladium from processors and printed circuit boards in just 20 minutes, using a safe solution of salt and potassium peroxymonosulfate.
The method’s main advantage is the absence of toxic reagents and its operation at room temperature. Thanks to an autocatalytic mechanism, the solution becomes activated when it comes into contact with precious metals and efficiently extracts them without harmful waste.
The economic effect is also impressive: the new method is about three times cheaper than conventional ones, cuts energy use by 62%, and reduces reagent costs by 93%. According to estimates, recycling 10 kg of boards yields 1.4 grams of gold at a cost several times lower than the market price.
According to the WHO, electronic waste grows by another 2.6 million tons every year worldwide, and by 2030 it could exceed 82 million tons. In such conditions, technologies that make it possible to safely return rare resources to production are becoming essential.
