Refining of precious metals

What amounts of precious metals are found in electronic devices?

When the term “golden paradise” is used, it is difficult to imagine images of old computers, used cell phones, and broken keyboards. But old appliances contain a surprising amount of useful and valuable metals that should not be thrown away. So what kind of metals lie in that outdated computer or old cell phone?

Last year, London artists Revital Cohen and Tuur Van Balen decided to delve into old electronics to show consumers what precious metals are hidden in electronic devices. They picked up a bunch of old computers and machines from a bankrupt factory and decided to refine the precious metals. What they found is a bullion of precious metal that looks as if pulled straight out of the ground. It provides raw materials that could still be used in other facilities. The piece of stone contains gold, copper, tantalum, aluminum, and limestone, all of which are kept separate enough to actually see what’s going into the devices.

The United States Environmental Protection Organization (EPA) lists some of the staggering precious metals we have in electronics: “One metric ton of slabs can contain 40 to 800 times more gold and 30 to 40 times more copper than is extracted from one metric ton of ore in the United States.” . The EPA also points out that cell phones alone contain gold, silver, platinum, palladium, copper, tin, and zinc. Subsequently, already used materials can be reused in jewelry, electronics, cars or art.

A study by the American Institute of Technology in Harare also found that printed circuit boards contain “about 20 weight percent. copper, 0.04% by weight gold, 0.15% by weight silver and 0.01% by weight. palladium ’and the percentage by weight is. The study chart of the report of the International Conference on Sustainable Solid Waste Management also indicated the presence of precious metals in keyboards, personal computers, printed circuit boards, and automotive electronics. Silver, gold, copper, zinc, nickel, bismuth, iron and antimony are present in all four of the facilities listed. The recycling efficiencies of silver, gold, copper, zinc, iron and antimony are 60-99%.