The Royal British Mint has decided to extract gold and other precious metals from components of non-working parts of smartphones and laptops
The Mint signed an agreement with Canadian startup Excir that will provide the court with technology to remelt the circuit boards of devices at room temperature, which will allow it to eliminate the need for smelting plants.
It is reported that the department has already tested the technology and received gold of pure 999.9. Excir’s invention also makes it possible to extract palladium, copper and silver in seconds.
The technology is expected to help reduce waste from electronics. Researchers estimate that electronic and electrical equipment discarded in 2021 will weigh more than 57 million tons and increase every year.
