You have 22 karat gold at home and you did not even know it, that is right. You are probably on the couch right now, reading us from your tablet, laptop or mobile phone, and you surely have Alexa playing, or maybe a series on TV, so you are surrounded, my friend. 22 karat gold. It is not that you are going to get rich, but not all gold shines, and what we mean by this is that this gold is inside your trusted electronic devices, yes, yes, your mobile phone, your TV… you just cannot see it.
Gold is important in technology
But why? Because it is the perfect material, it conducts electricity, it does not oxidize, it does not degrade and it lasts for years doing its job. Exactly what chips and connectors need to work for thousands of hours without breaking.
Also, it can be stretched into very thin, almost microscopic layers, that is why you never thought you had gold at home, but the reality is that you depend on it every time you unlock your phone!
Devices in your home that hide gold
- Mobile phones (all of them, old and new)
- Laptops and desktop computers
- Flat screen televisions
- Printers
- Digital cameras
- Microwaves, especially in the control panel
- Air conditioners and “smart” appliances
Each one contains very little gold, milligrams. You are not going to get rich by selling it and it is nothing spectacular on its own, but you do have gold.
Very little per device…
One hundred phones will not make you rich, but think about the number of devices that are produced and thrown away every year, that is where things change, right?
Electronic waste is already considered one of the largest “urban mines” of precious metals in the world, they are more accessible and much richer than traditional mines.
Technology that goes to the trash
Of course, we also have to take into account that when we throw an appliance into a landfill, silver, copper, palladium are lost… several materials that could be reused and that generate a very serious problem, they are polluting substances that end up filtering into the soil or nearby water. That is why it is essential to recycle technology properly.
Can I extract the gold at home?
Stop right there, Indiana Jones, you cannot dismantle an electronic device by yourself, this is not a DIY project, it requires complex chemicals, specialized facilities and safety controls. At home it is dangerous and we are not joking. Gold is only recovered in recycling plants authorized for this.
How is it done?
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a much cleaner and more efficient method to recover gold and other precious metals from electronic waste, using fewer aggressive chemicals, with higher yield and less environmental impact.
Gold and recycling
Welcome to the world of the circular economy, we have to make use of what we already have instead of continuing to extract and empty all the mines, what would be left for the future otherwise? If something can be recycled from each device, why not do it?
An invisible fortune…
You have gold but you do not have gold, it is Schrödinger’s gold. Knowing that you have 22 karat gold at home changes your perspective a bit, right? But at least now you know that those devices deserve proper recycling, right?