#GoldExtraction from #EWaste gets 10 times more efficient with new sponge material

Researchers developed a nanoscale cross-dimensional composite material via self-assembly of two-dimensional graphene oxide and one-dimensional chitosan macromolecules.

By Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Oct 27, 2024

"Researchers have developed a new type of material that’s 10 times more efficient at extracting gold from e-waste than previous adsorbents. Developed by chemists and materials scientists at the National University of Singapore, the material is a type of sponge made of #GrapheneOxide and #chitosan [shrimp shells].

"The material can reportedly transform the way gold is extracted from electronic wastes, which has been described so far as a dirty business with low yields and results in toxic #pollutants.

"The cheaper, cleaner and efficient method was tested by researchers using real e-waste provided by a recycling company."

[...]

"While the present work focused on gold, the team say the technique could be adapted to recover other valuable metals such as #silver, #platinum or #palladium from #ElectronicWaste or even #mining residues. And that is not all: as well as e-waste, the technology might be applied to a wider range of environmental cleaning efforts, such as filtering out #HeavyMetals from #PollutedWater sources or industrial effluents, reported Physics World."

Read more:
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/gold-extraction-from-e-waste-sponge


Article in Physics World - Eco-friendly graphene composite recovers gold from e-waste

24 Oct 2024

https://physicsworld.com/a/eco-friendly-graphene-composite-recovers-gold-from-e-waste/

#SolarPunkSunday #NoGoldMining
#EWasteRecycling #MetalsExtraction #Electronics #RareEarthMinerals #Recycling #NewTechnology #ShrimpShells