Known for being very corrosive, aqua regia consists of a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid that, in the correct ratio, can dissolve nonreactive elements such as gold and platinum.
Cyanidation (and thiosulfate)
The principal technology is the cyanide process, in which gold is leached from the ore by treatment with a solution of cyanide.
Gold is unaffected by air, water, alkalis and all acids except aqua regia (a mixture of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid) which can dissolve gold.
Pour nitric acid into the glass container over the circuit boards. Stir the mixture with the glass or metal rod until the contents become a uniform fluid. Once the gold has separated from the plates — it may take some time — strain the nitric acid from the mix using the filter. Take out the pieces that aren't melted.
Despite these challenges, the extraction of gold from electronics can be worth it for individuals looking to recover valuable metals and reduce e-waste. Additionally, gold prices are constantly increasing, making it an attractive investment for those looking to extract gold from electronics.
Among all home devices, computers and televisions typically contain the most gold. Gold is also found in the circuit boards of earlier generations of cameras, radios, and media players.
Precious metals and copper may be recovered from complex electronic scrap by a process comprising caustic leaching; smelting, and electrolysis. Alternatively, assayable products may be prepared by direct smelting of the scrap.
Aqua-regia was so named by alchemists because it can dissolve noble metals like gold and platinum.
Use Nitric Acid
If you have a circuit board with gold plating, you can remove the gold using nitric acid. The acid will dissolve the metal and leave the non-metallic components of the circuit board intact.
According to recent research, approximately 200 g of gold (Au) per ton of scrap can be extracted from e-waste, whereas Au ores contain 5–30 g of Au per ton; this offers an economic incentive to recycle e-waste rather than mine ores from virgin sources [6], [7], [8], [9].
Smelters are used to extract Gold and other metals from computers. Circuits in modern CPUs and Laptops weigh around 100 gm so you can expect to extract 0.150 grams of Gold. Additionally, the wires and connector pins have gold which will amount to another 0.070 gram and another 0.090 grams for gold plated contacts.
You can find Au plating on the outside of devices, such as on electrical connectors. Most of the gold in electronics, however, is located inside the devices in the circuit boards. Electronics companies use gold plating to enhance the conductivity of the circuit board and protect it from corrosion.
The 24K gold is used to make coins, bars and is also used in electronics and medical devices. The 22 Karat gold is mostly used in making jewellery. In 22K gold, 22 parts of the metal are gold and rest two comprises of metals like silver, zinc, nickel, and other alloys. It is also known as 91.67 per cent pure gold.
This is because the gold content in rams is about 0.155%, which means that there is 15.5 milligrams of gold in every gram of rams. So, if you have 1 kilogram of rams, which is equal to 1000 grams, you will have 15.5 grams of gold.
The processors and connectors in computers, tablets, and smartphones use gold. You can also find gold in televisions, gaming consoles, printers, or essentially anything electronic.
Some other sources estimate that your average computer contains about 1/5th of a gram, or about $12 worth, of gold in them. On the other hand, laptops typically contain about 1/10th of a gram of gold, or around $6 worth. However, the actual value will depend entirely on the type of e-waste you are looking at.
Something) I'm using simple math its about 37.00 bucks of gold newer computers are about a 1/3 of a gram that's the ram, board fingers, processors. And hard drives, this came out to about 10-12 bucks per computer.
One study showed that when a 14K white gold ring was placed in common household bleach for 36 hours, the ring completely disintegrated! Small amounts of chlorine exist in tap water, too.
Highlights. ► Waste printed circuit board is separated by dimethyl sulfoxide. ► The epoxy resins of WPCBs are dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide at 145 °C.
TVs usually contain a very small amount of gold that might amount to about $1.00 or less in value. It can be quite a lot of work to get to the gold inside your TV as well.
You'll likely make profits when retrieving gold from tons of e-waste. Gold extraction requires special chemicals for melting the gold into a bead. You need a spacious workshop for storing all your e-waste and segregated parts.