The Royal Mint of the United Kingdom has begun large-scale recycling of discarded mobile phones and laptops to extract precious metals.
In circuit boards and electronic hardware, there is a small amount of precious metals, including gold and silver. These devices have increasingly become essential items for people around the globe. As a result, the volume of electronic waste has surged dramatically each year.
According to the United Nations, 2019 saw a record 53.6 million tons of electronic waste generated worldwide. Less than 20% of that waste was recycled. The remaining waste contains precious metals valued at approximately $57 billion that were discarded.
The Royal Mint, the UK government’s minting facility with a history of around 1,100 years, announced on October 20 that it is collaborating with a Canadian startup named Excir to extract precious metals using chemical methods.
A spokesperson for the Mint stated that the precious metals from this electronic waste will be recovered at room temperature. She described this process as more environmentally friendly because it avoids the “ecological impacts of incineration or smelting.”
Gold bars made in Europe. (Photo: Bloomberg).
On its website, Excir states that its technology can recover 99% of gold from electronic waste “in just a few seconds.” The company recently received approximately $4.3 million in financial support from a fund associated with the Canadian government that finances clean technology.
According to a 2019 report by the World Economic Forum, the amount of gold in one ton of mobile phones is 100 times greater than that in one ton of gold ore. At current prices, one ounce of gold is valued at around $1,750.
Anne Jessopp, CEO of the Royal Mint, stated: “The potential of this technology is immense; it helps reduce the impact of electronic waste and preserves valuable resources.”
However, some scientists have questioned how sustainable and environmentally neutral the extraction of precious metals from electronic waste is, as it often involves the use of acids.
Excir claims that the method they use to extract precious metals “is an extremely mild and environmentally friendly solution that can be recycled with negligible environmental impact.”
