How are precious metals extracted from electronics?

Gold and silver are highly durable metals. They are great conductors of electricity. They also have low electrical resistance. This makes them ideal for electrical applications. Today, we use numerous electrical appliances. Most include parts made of gold and silver. For instance, our switchboards have a silver contact attached to them. This helps the board regulate electricity. 

Similarly, our TV remotes have components of gold. They carry currents to and from the remote. When you sell such appliances, their precious metal components get extracted. They are reused for other devices. Here is how:

Ideally, sold appliances are sent to a precious metal manufacturer. They carefully disassemble the device. Then, they clean the internal parts. This gets done to remove any dust or dirt.

After dissembling, the manufacturer is usually left with extra materials. These include other parts like metal brackets, wires, plastic clips, etc.

When dealing with a computer or laptop, it is essential to locate microchips. For this, the manufacturer scans through the device. They remove any CPU and discard any chips soldered onto the motherboard.

The next step is to discard any parts made of precious metals. Say you have sold your extension cord. Now, the manufacturer dissembles the device. They remove the other parts. Finally, they remove the silver contact attached to the switchboard. This gets done through advanced machinery. It ensures the safety and reduces the risk of damage.

Once the manufacturer has all the parts, they create a scrap. This helps them pile up recyclable precious metals.

To effectively extract gold and silver, the parts get heated. This helps the components melt quickly. It also facilitates the next step.

Melting the parts is an important step. It allows the manufacturer to draw out a sample of the mixture. This sample then gets tested to find out two things:

• Measure the quantity of gold or silver in it

• Measure the purity of gold and silver present in it

Finally, the actual extraction happens. For this, the manufacturer mixes the molten material with a concoction. It is a mixture of hydrochloric and sulphuric acid. Doing so helps the precious metal separate from other materials. Through this, the manufacturer gets the precious metal.

Before you sell your electronics to extract precious metals, remember:

• Always choose a reliable manufacturer.

• Do not try to perform any of the extraction steps yourself.

• Learn about what precious metals your device has.

• Always ask for a detailed report from your manufacturer beforehand. It should state the extractable quantity of precious metal in your device.