By Veena Clay May 7, 2015

Did you know that gold, actual gold, is contained in some, if not most, of your electronics? Retrieve enough of it and you may have a solid fortune on your hands. All around the world it seems that everyone, from industrial companies to uncertified trash recyclers, are vying to profit from e-waste gold extraction. 

Indeed, the e-waste gold recovery process has gained widespread attention. Perhaps it’s because the very notion of getting gold from old trash and wrecked devices seems appealing to many. For others, like the informal trash pickers of India, gold recovery has become a way of life and a way out of poverty

Yet, challenges abound, and the level of difficulty and danger as well as lack of extraction resources may deter some. The most informal methods involve using harmful chemicals to extract gold as well as other precious metals from devices like computers and cell phones. These chemicals can drain into water sources, streams, rivers and lakes causing tremendous damage to the environment, poisoning soil and air and harming local communities. 

However, innovation is on the rise in regard to the process used to recover gold from e-waste. In fact, the latest methods are even more exciting and bizarre than the notion of gold recovery from e-waste itself. As researchers, and everyday recyclers, continue to perfect the process of recovering gold from e-waste, it’s a topic continually growing in popularity.

Recovering Gold from E-waste Gains Widespread Attention

Known by its common street name, digger gold, the gold extracted from e-waste has become a well-known commodity in some regions. This is especially true in India, where almost all recycling takes place among uncertified and, in most cases, untrained recyclers in the informal sector. 

Other countries, too, have increased the attention gold extraction receives. In China, a country notorious for its pollution and environmental concerns, plenty of recycling is available for gold recovery. This is because until only recently, much of the world’s trash had been shipped to China, where the recycling industry was more than ready to take on the exports. 

However, this practice has decreased lately, partly due to e-waste. Informal Chinese recyclers began using environmentally hazardous methods to extract gold and other precious metals from e-waste shipped in from other countries. In regions like Guiyu, entire swaths of land and watersheds were completely destroyed due to unscrupulous methods of recycling and e-waste extraction. 

The Internet is littered with explanatory how-to’s covering the best grassroots methods of recovering gold from e-waste – a fact that is indicative of the widespread attention the practice is receiving. It would seem to also indicate that anyone could get in on the gold to be had from an old electronic device. However, it might help to know that not all electronics contain gold and the process may be more challenging than we think.

Which Electronic Devices Contain Gold?

Electronic devices are typically classified as consumer electronic devices, also known as CEDs. These include televisions, computers, laptops, cell phones, fax machines, copiers, answering machines, telephones, and generally any home or office product that requires an electrical cord. 

When it comes to gold recovery, not all CEDs make the grade, however. Typically, computers that contain the most well known opportunities for gold extraction, with mobile phones coming in at a close second. Although, nearly every electronic device employs the use of gold in small quantities, computers and mobile phones lead the pack mostly due to the composition of circuit boards in the manufacturing of these devices. Most devices contain about 50 cents worth of gold each.

The lower electrical currents used in CEDs mean that tarnishing at contact points can sometimes be a problem. The no-tarnish properties of gold makes it an ideal candidate for use in computers, cellular phones and other electronic devices. In computers, gold is also an excellent conductor for the rapid transfer of digital information.2

Challenges Involved in E-waste Gold Extraction

Even as gold recovery from e-waste gains widespread attention, it also must be noted that the extraction process is not without significant challenges. Primarily, this is due to the potential hazards involved in extraction methods. 

The most common methods involve using dangerous chemicals. Cyanide, nitric acid and hydrochloric acid are all used as stripping solutions to separate the gold contained in various electronic device components. 

When these chemicals are not properly contained, stored or disposed, environmental issues become an increasing threat to the health and safety of those involved. The chemicals can easily contaminate groundwater and cause irreparable damage to soil and air quality. 

Thus, the push for better methods of gold recovery from e-waste is continuous, particularly methods that are the least harmful to the environment.

Novel E-waste Gold Extraction Methods

Perfecting the process of recovering gold from e-waste has not escaped the scrutiny of researchers. Scientists have been able to increase extraction rates from 10-20 percent to up to 80 percent and with no chemical contaminants involved. 

Researchers at VTT Technical Research of Finland have begun using fungal mycelium tissue a bioabsorbent, which can filter gold from computer parts. The process involves placing the fungi in non-toxic water based solutions that can then be used to extract the gold through biomass filters. 

In India, where e-waste is a huge problem, gold extraction is fast-becoming a highly profitable endeavor. One company, Attero Recycling, has turned the once dangerous methods of the informal sector of recyclers into a successful business venture. The company pays informal recyclers for the mother boards and circuit boards they collect, a practice which prevents the recyclers from attempting harmful and extremely dangerous extraction methods themselves. 

These and other highly innovative methods of perfecting the process of recovering gold from e-waste are changing the landscape of electronics recycling. Not only can e-cycling be a viable way to combat the growing e-waste crisis, it can also be extremely profitable as well.

Gold for Days in E-waste

On average, it is estimated that large volumes of electronics waste contain hundreds of thousands of dollars in gold and other precious metals. When combined with safe and innovative extraction methods, the process of gold recovery from e-waste could be just the beginning for the future of the entire recycling industry.