The Royal Mint in South Wales is at the forefront of cutting-edge technology, with a secretive process developed in collaboration with Canadian startup Excir. This innovation involves a "magic green solution" that can extract 99% of gold from discarded electronic circuit boards found in old laptops and mobile phones. A new, state-of-the-art factory set to be operational soon will process 90 tonnes of circuit boards weekly, recovering hundreds of kilograms of gold annually.
The chemical process is remarkably efficient, occurring at room temperature, and the solution can be reused up to 20 times. The Royal Mint's goal is to expand beyond gold and recover other precious metals like palladium, silver, and copper from e-waste, with potential applications extending beyond jewelry to support electric vehicles and renewable energy production.
Electronic waste, or e-waste, is a fast-growing global problem, with only 20% of it formally recycled. The UK, in particular, is a significant producer of e-waste. This innovation addresses the environmental impact of traditional gold extraction methods, which involve shipping e-waste abroad for carbon-intensive smelting.
The Royal Mint aims to reduce its reliance on mined gold and promote local recycling. It plans to generate its own energy from renewables and establish partnerships worldwide to spread this technology. The key challenge lies in developing a network of e-waste suppliers and processors that prioritize local reuse.
The concept of urban mining, recovering valuable metals from e-waste, has enormous potential due to the abundance of discarded electronics. Advanced recovery technologies and better handling of components like circuit boards can contribute significantly to reducing waste and recovering valuable materials.
The Royal Mint's innovative e-waste recycling process, focused on gold recovery, has the potential to expand to other precious metals and support green technologies. This addresses the urgent need for sustainable e-waste management and resource conservation.