On August 4, according to AFP, the Royal Mint is applying new recycling technology to recover gold from electronic waste, turning old electronic components into high-end jewelry.
At the Royal Mint facility near Cardiff city (Wales), old phones of the Bank of England are disassembled before the circuit boards are put into the chemical tank system to separate gold from components.
This recycling plant was put into operation 2 years ago and can treat about 4,000 tons of electronic waste per year, equivalent to the ability to recover about 400kg of gold, according to Mr. Sean Millard, Development Director of Royal Mint.
According to AFP, each old desk phone of the Bank of England contains about 30mg of gold, worth nearly 3 pounds (about 4 USD) at current prices. Meanwhile, a modern smartphone can contain gold worth about 4 pounds.
Gold is widely used in electronic circuit boards thanks to its good conductivity and anti-corrosion. However, this stability also makes it difficult to separate gold from electronic waste.
Unlike many traditional recycling facilities that use the method of melting at very high temperatures or using strong acids to dissolve metals, Royal Mint applies a chemical process operating at room temperature. This technology was developed by Excir (Canada) and has been patented.
According to Ms. Kate Griffiths, chemical analyst at Royal Mint, the process does not require additional external energy sources and the chemical solution can be reused many times.
After being refined to enhance purity, recycled gold will be used to make products belonging to the jewelry brand "886", taken from the year of establishment of Royal Mint.
In addition to gold, this facility also recycles silver from old electronic devices, including many radios provided by hospitals in the UK.
According to a United Nations report, only 22.3% of global electronic waste was collected and recycled properly in 2022. Improper treatment can release lead, mercury, plastic and many other toxic substances into the environment.
In the context of strong gold prices in recent years, gold recovery from electronic waste is becoming increasingly attractive economically. Gold prices once set a record of nearly 5,600 USD/ounce at the end of January due to global economic instability, before falling to about 4,000 USD/ounce.
Professor Jason Hallett, a sustainable chemistry technology expert at Imperial College London, said that when gold prices are high, the cost of electronic waste treatment to recover gold is no longer a major barrier. According to him, this is a solution that brings double benefits if the recycling process does not increase energy consumption or emissions.
