The Royal Mint in the United Kingdom is turning e-waste into treasure, harnessing the gold found in old electronics like iPhones and laptops.
- 王林Original
- 2024-08-30 03:31:30516browse
According to the BBC, the United Kingdom’s official coin maker has begun an innovative project at a new industrial plant in Wales, where workers are mining e-waste for valuable metals.
The Royal Mint, the official coin maker of the United Kingdom, has begun an innovative project at a new industrial plant in Wales, where workers are mining e-waste for valuable metals, including gold.
According to the BBC, the mint is extracting gold from waste products, such as old iPhones and laptops, in an effort to reduce its dependence on traditionally mined gold. The initiative, which is part of the mint's sustainability drive, will see it process 4,000 printed circuit boards annually, along with out-dated phones, TVs, and computers.
Inga Doak, head of sustainability at the Royal Mint, told the BBC that the mint is "engaging in what we call urban mining."
"We’re uncovering the hidden value in these finite resources," she said.
The mint has invested heavily in cutting-edge technology and infrastructure to enable the e-waste mining operation. The extraction process is carried out at room temperature, which significantly reduces energy consumption, according to a statement from the mint.
E-waste is a rapidly growing global concern. The United Nations estimates that 56 million tonnes of e-waste are generated each year, with that number expected to rise. According to American Bullion, a precious metals company, the amount of gold in a single device varies by model, but an iPhone typically contains about 0.034 grams of gold.
While the amount of gold in each device is small, the collective value of recoverable materials from global e-waste is estimated at $62 billion. Remarkably, e-waste is believed to contain around seven per cent of the world's gold.
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