And computer chips. Rumor has it that it is contained, and a considerable amount. How much is really there and how profitable can such an activity as gold mining from mobile phones be?
In Japan, it was determined that 280 g of gold can be extracted from a ton of cell phones. For comparison: even for the richest ore, this figure does not exceed 5. However, to extract such gold, you will need some reagents, as well as knowledge and skills in the field of chemistry.
Precious metals in a mobile phone
There is a perception that older phones contain more precious metals. So is it or not? It's hard to understand. But the fact that their content differs in different models is true. The fact is that gold has the properties of inertness, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity and other characteristics useful in radio engineering. Gold, along with silver, palladium, and platinum, is often coated on chip pads and other elements where a good contact is needed that will not deteriorate over time due to metal oxidation.
Most of all, the mobile phone contains copper - approximately 8.5 g, but in some devices its number can reach 15 g. It also contains about 3 g of cobalt. About 0.25 g of silver can be extracted from the phone, and only 0.024 g of gold. And these 24 mg are not contained in one place, but are distributed over contacts and wire tracks as a coating with a minimum thickness. Thus, gold in one mobile phone is about 1-2 dollars.
Let's not forget about platinum and palladium. They are contained there less than a milligram, but such metals have the highest value. If you collect all the metal, then the amount will be about $ 2.
But SIM cards contain far from a considerable amount of gold. They cover the contact area. Some amateur gold miners claim that up to half a gram of gold can be mined from one SIM card.
Where to look for it?
So, we figured it out - the cell contains precious metals. But in order to find them, you need to know where to look. Gold in the phone may be:
- on old mobile phones, you can try on the contacts of the buttons;
- very often there is a lot of gold on the contact pads of microcircuits;
- somewhat less of this precious metal can be found inside the chips themselves;
- a lot of it is found on the coatings of the contacts of the loops and coaxial antennas;
- according to some reports, gold can also be obtained from speakers and a microphone.
How to mine?
Let's describe one of the methods of gold mining. For extraction, you will need two reagents - hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide.
Acid and peroxide are mixed in a ratio of 2 to 1. Acid is poured into hydrogen peroxide, and not vice versa. During work, you need to be careful, use protection and perform all manipulations in the air.
We take all the parts of the mobile phone that contain gold, and cut off everything superfluous. We throw it all into the mixture and, stirring daily, wait a week. After that, small particles of gold precipitate. Filter it with filter paper.
You can't get rich this way. In order to extract gold from a cell phone, more complex and expensive methods will be needed. It is economically unprofitable to mine gold from mobile phones at home, except to do it on an industrial scale. And besides, no one has repealed the law on the illegal circulation of precious metals.
Can a regular mobile tube contain precious metals? You have not thought about it, but the answer to this question has already been found by 911 Metallurgist. It helps mining and processing companies to extract metals from their used equipment.
While you are thinking about which case to buy for iphone 5s, experts have already calculated how much gold, silver and copper is contained in the tube itself. So, in the iPhone you can find gold for $1.58, silver for $0.36, and copper for $0.12. In addition to this, you can find other elements in a regular smartphone, for example, gadolinium, yttrium, europium, lanthanum, neodymium, and so on. But from a ton of non-working phones, you can collect up to 150 grams of gold.
The organization 911 Metallurgist did such research for a reason. The main task of the analysis is to create a system for processing elements from recycled materials in order to cause minimal damage to nature and, of course, win in economic terms.
In general, now the amount of e-waste is increasing. Moreover, cell phones are more likely to become unusable than microwaves and vacuum cleaners. The opportunity to benefit from so-called e-waste is already being considered in many countries. And in some, the leaders of the sphere appeared. For example, the Belgian company Umicore. She also came up with the name of her activity. E-waste disposal within the organization is referred to exclusively as "above-ground mining". Of course, why poke around in the bowels of the earth, if everything lies on its surface.
However, Umicore is not alone in its activities. For several years now, major manufacturers of mobile handsets have signed the Basel Convention. According to it, companies are obliged to accept used mobile phones from users and dispose of them in accordance with all the rules, that is, without harm to the environment. By the way, in the EU countries there is a directive on electronic scrap: sellers of equipment are required to accept used electrical appliances.
But this is in the EU countries. And what about Russia? Things are going well with recycling in Moscow. There are about 500 companies in the capital that specialize in the processing of e-waste, in particular, cell phones. In addition, some large mobile phone companies practice the acceptance and disposal of materials that remain in service centers after repair. These are defective spare parts even assembled phones. However, before you go and hand over a faulty pipe for scrap, you should keep in mind: most often they are accepted free of charge, because the main income from receiving scrap goes to nature.
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Like any other electronic device, a mobile phone contains a variety of precious metals, including silver or gold. Before throwing away an old mobile phone, it makes sense to extract gold from it.
Is it true
Almost any electronics - and, of course, a mobile phone too - contains ceramics, precious metals and rare earth chemical elements. Of course, the amount of "values" in such a relatively small device as a mobile phone is negligible.
The largest share in the metal component of mobile phones is copper - in some cases this metal can be extracted up to 15 grams. On average, mobile phones contain about 8.5 g of copper (its designation in the Periodic Table of Elements is Cu). The amount of a transition metal called cobalt (Co) or the common iron (Fe) in a mobile phone is quite small - about 3 grams.
And, finally, the most interesting thing: very little precious metals can be extracted from a mobile phone: about 0.25 g of silver (Ag), which is found in circuit boards and contacts, as well as an average of about 0.024 gold (Au). These 24 milligrams of the coveted metal are distributed over all contacts and current-carrying paths. This amount of gold is contained in a cube with a face length of 1 mm.
It would seem very little, but at the current price of gold (about 2,300 rubles per gram as of January 2017), gold worth 63 rubles “rusts” in an old, unused mobile phone. In distant Africa or at a mine in Siberia, as many as 25 kg of gold ore will have to be processed in order to extract a similar amount of precious metal.
The matter is not limited to gold alone: on average, each mobile phone contains expensive raw materials worth more than 130 rubles. If we remember that according to the data of the German Information Technology Association Bitkom in 2011, about 83 million old mobile phones were lying around in the homes of the inhabitants of Germany, then this adds up to an impressive amount: about 180 million euros are simply gathering dust in pantries and in desk drawers. In the figure on the right, you can see which metals and in what quantities are contained in mobile phones.
The cost of raw materials in unused mobile phones is more than 2.5 billion euros Gold and silver - that's what you could take out of old mobile phones before throwing them in the trash can! Theoretically, everything is correct, but in practice it is better not to try to do this. There are precious metals in old mobile phones, and this is not a myth. However, the cost of reverse electroplating, by which gold is extracted from other substances, will be equal to the cost of raw materials extracted from hundreds of mobile phones.
For the disposal of electronic devices, there are special points for their processing, where valuable metals are extracted, and most importantly, the poisonous substances contained in them are neutralized, which helps to keep the environment safe for living.
Photo: manufacturing companies
The use and development of the mineral resource base of gold is determined by the development of the international financial system. In the last three decades, the consumption of gold for industrial needs has tripled, and the fields of application have expanded many times over. It is for this reason that many are interested in how to get gold from old electronics.
The use of gold in industry
Technologically new devices and technologies are conducive to the use of gold in an unusual role. The number of devices based on boards using gold is growing: tablets, smartphones, laptops. This industry is developing at a tremendous pace: every season new, not always improved models are produced, which are quickly sold on the market, while the need for old models disappears, consumerism is growing, leaving a lot of obsolete equipment on the street. And this is only a small part of the development of the modern world. New models of computers and phones are replacing outdated ones, and this process is not at all due to increasing requirements for technology, but is dictated by marketing specialists.
Modern electronics is designed for a short period of work solely for the fact that a person would pay money more often and buy a new one. Many printers have a page output limit. When this number ends, quite a working device simply stops printing. In order to make it work, you need to crack the code provided by the manufacturer. Most consumers find it easier and cheaper to buy new appliances. Old refrigerators have been operating for several decades, new, modern refrigerators equipped with conceivable and unthinkable functions “burn out” in a matter of years. Due to such a huge increase in product consumption, the industry needs more materials, including gold.
Gold is actively used in various fields of medicine, especially in dentistry.
For the vast majority of technical devices and medical technologies, the presence of gold in production has absolutely no effect on the price. This is the reason for the increasing use of gold in industry.
Research conducted around the world is expanding the boundaries of the use of this precious metal. Although it is unlikely that the public will see something from science fiction films, however, studies are giving a positive result and can reduce the consumption of metal, while expanding the scope of its use.
To date, there are six groups of gold use, knowledge of the latter will help answer the question "which old appliances are most likely to contain gold":
- Transport;
- Electronics and telecommunications;
- Energy and heat regulation;
- Chemistry and petrochemistry;
- Medicine;
- Nanotechnologies.
Despite its weight, gold is actively used in aviation and spacecraft. The precious metal is used where corrosion is unacceptable, namely in the joints of engine parts, the windows of the shuttles are covered with the thinnest gold film to prevent the penetration of harmful radiation inside, they are soldered with electrical contacts. Since the 1980s, the state has spent about forty kilograms of gold on the construction of space shuttles.
In road transport, gold plays an important role as a conductor, thanks to this metal it is much safer to drive modern cars. Gold is used in microcircuits responsible for critical automotive systems, helping to catalyze unburned fuel, which helps reduce emissions of the latter into the atmosphere.
In electronics, the value of gold is undeniable: every smartphone, tablet, iPad, computer, monoblock and cell phone has gold as part of their circuit boards. It is this metal that contributes to the fast operation and reliability of these devices. Therefore, the gold content, including in intel processors, is beyond doubt.
Solar energy storage systems also contain gold, which helps to increase the efficiency of solar energy collection.
Intel processors contain a high percentage of gold.
In hot climates, the use of gold in window glass helps prevent excess heat from escaping, making offices and homes cozier and reducing the need for air conditioning, which in turn reduces energy costs.
In the chemical industry, catalysts containing gold help control the chemical reaction and obtain the necessary substances. Gold-containing catalysts are used to completely process raw materials into chemicals that help convert plastics and paints into relatively safe substances.
In medicine, gold is used to improve the quality of medical instruments, expanding the usual ways of treating people. Gold is used for arthritis and is found in hearing and eye implants. In the future, gold nanoparticles are expected to be used as drug deliverers to target human organs.
Carbon nanotubes contain precious metal.
Gold is also widely used in nanotechnologies: carbon nanotubes, optical chips. The use of gold in this area is due to the exceptional properties of its particles.
What is affinage?
The widespread use of gold in industry also led to negative consequences: there were fans of extracting metal from old microcircuits, that is, refining.
Refining is the process of obtaining pure precious metals by releasing them from a mixture. This method of obtaining gold from old electronics is also available at home.
Microcircuits containing gold
First of all, it is worth looking for the Soviet period - in imports, the content of the precious metal is minimal. In many microcircuits, gold is hidden under a copper case. You can accurately find out the content of the gold alloy in old microcircuits only by the passport for a particular technique.
Many chips contain gold.
Gold is also found in microcircuits and transistors of round, ceramic, planar DIP, plastic cases, power transistors. In ALS indicators and diodes. In domestic-made connectors, pins with white or yellow coated contact parts. In lamellas from boards. In ceramic monolithic capacitors of some brands, tantalum capacitors. In some switches, toggle switches, buttons, resistors. In angle and pressure sensors. Thermocouples CCI and TPR, heat resistance, temperature sensors, strain gauges, pressure sensors. In mounting wires of fluoroplastic insulation. In some generator lamps, in printed circuit boards with radio elements.
Much more gold is in Soviet computers. To achieve high performance, a lot of precious metal had to be used. Most of these machines have been scrapped and replaced with modern and powerful ones, but such vehicles are still found today and a decent amount of gold can be obtained from them.
The easiest way to mine gold is from such equipment. However, non-working equipment can be handed over to special collection points, which themselves sell it at their own discretion and make a profit.
Among such equipment there may be a working one, and it is very expensive if offered to collectors.
Before proceeding directly to the extraction of gold, it is necessary to disassemble the device.
In what details can you find gold?
Microcircuits. In them, gold is present in the form of gold-plated terminals pressed into plastic or ceramic cases. The mass of gold leads is one third of the mass of the microcircuit. The gold content can vary from one to five percent.
radio tubes
In them, gold is deposited on a grid very close to the cathode. This is necessary so that the grid does not become a source of electrons.
transistors
Gold is placed under conductors and crystals.
Do not rush to throw away old equipment - many of its parts are gold-containing.
Capacitors
Gold-bearing capacitors were used in military radio stations and generators. One condenser is up to forty centimeters high and up to twenty centimeters wide. In such a capacitor is up to seven grams of gold.
Resistors
Semiconductors, diodes, stabilizers, optocouplers, thyristors.
Connectors
Most old connectors can be plated with gold.
gold extraction process
From a variety of parts, gold can be mined in two ways: by chemical means and by electrolysis. Naturally, you should not act at random and you need to know in advance which boards contain precious gold.
One of the most common methods for extracting gold from old parts is the etching method. It is based on the chemical inertness of gold. How to extract gold from electronic circuit boards using this property? Required reagent - aqua regia.
This reagent can be easily obtained at home. Royal vodka consists of one part of concentrated nitric acid and three parts of concentrated hydrochloric acid. A yellowish-orange liquid will be obtained, with a strong smell of chlorine and nitrogen dioxide. The solution does not acquire a characteristic color immediately, but after standing for a while.
Here's what the end result should be.
Why does gold have to react with such a solution? When nitric and hydrochloric acids interact, many associates and radicals are released. Royal vodka must be prepared immediately before use, otherwise it will soon be unusable. When etching, all metals except gold are eaten away. Before etching, you need to ensure that all gilded elements stand apart from non-gilded ones. The contacts from the connectors can be pulled out, and the remaining caps can be carefully removed.
The etched powder and foil are dried on newspaper and carefully weighed. How to extract gold from chip powder? It must be melted in a crucible with the addition of white powder (sodium tetraborate). With this processing of gold, about 10 percent is lost. It is impossible to make money on it, because in Russia the sale of unassayed gold is prohibited. However, purely for yourself, you can try to experiment and get a very small bar of gold.
Sometimes, when etching, you can get white gold. In the jewelry industry, white gold is highly valued and is used in many pieces of jewelry, including for setting precious stones. includes either nickel or palladium or platinum. The most expensive type of white gold contains platinum. This is one of the most expensive metals, because the white gold ligature is more expensive than the yellow metal itself. There are also impurities that can make green gold. Jewelers appreciate it much less, because green gold has low strength characteristics, but the beautiful color compensates for this small drawback.
How to get gold from old electronics can tell the video above. Before you start searching for precious metal in electronic devices, you should understand that nothing will work without knowledge and patience. Even if you mine some of the precious metal, you will not be able to profit from it - any gold mining without a license is prohibited. Therefore, if the earner follows curiosity and interesting experience, it is quite possible to try. If you are driven by the desire to earn money, you should first read the criminal code of the Russian Federation.
