Science, Space and Technology News 2024
The gold nugget obtained from computer motherboards in three parts. The largest of these parts is around five millimeters wide. Credit: ETH Zurich / Alan Kovacevic
Electronic waste contains a variety of valuable metals, including copper, cobalt, and even significant amounts of gold. Recovering this gold from disused smartphones and computers is an attractive proposition in view of the rising demand for the precious metal. However, the recovery methods devised to date are energy-intensive and often require the use of highly toxic chemicals.
When they placed the protein fiber sponge in the metal ion solution, the gold ions adhered to the protein fibers. Other metal ions can also adhere to the fibers, but gold ions do so much more efficiently. The researchers demonstrated this in their paper, which they have published in the journalAs the next step, the researchers heated the sponge. This reduced the gold ions into flakes, which the scientists subsequently melted down into a gold nugget.
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