How is gold recycled from electronics?
Gold is recycled from electronics primarily through chemical processes that extract the precious metal from processed electronic waste, such as the cyanide extraction method.
While electronic waste (e-waste) undergoes initial steps like collection, dismantling, and shredding, the recovery of gold often involves chemical techniques. One established method is Gold Extraction by Cyanide. This process leverages the chemical properties of gold to dissolve it, separating it from other materials.
The cyanide extraction method is a key chemical step used to recover gold from electronic components. It is applied after the electronic waste has been prepared, typically by being pulverized into a fine material.
Here's how the process works based on the principle of cyanide extraction:
- Preparation: Electronic components containing gold are processed, often resulting in pulverised e-waste.
- Chemical Reaction: The pulverised e-waste is mixed with a solution containing sodium cyanide.
- Solubility: The cyanide reacts chemically with the gold in the e-waste. This reaction produces a soluble gold cyanide solution.
- Extraction: Because the gold is now dissolved in the solution, it allows for easier extraction of the precious metals from the bulk of the other waste materials.
Once the gold is in the soluble gold cyanide form, further steps (not detailed in the provided reference) are taken to precipitate or recover the pure gold from the solution. This chemical dissolution step is crucial because it selectively targets and isolates the gold.
This method, like other chemical extraction processes, requires careful handling due to the chemicals involved but is effective for recovering valuable gold from the complex mix of materials found in electronic waste.
