Turning Trash Into Treasure: Cheese Waste Powers Gold Recovery from E-Waste

We've all heard the phrase "one man's trash is another man's treasure," but scientists at ETH Zurich are taking it to a whole new level. They've developed a groundbreaking technique for extracting gold from electronic waste using a material derived from – wait for it – cheese-making waste!

This innovative approach not only provides a sustainable solution for dealing with the ever-growing mountain of e-waste, but it also offers a commercially viable method for recovering precious metals.

The Whey-to-Gold Solution

The team, led by Professor Raffaele Mezzenga, turned their attention to whey, a byproduct of cheese production that's often discarded. They discovered that by treating whey proteins at high temperatures and acidic conditions, they could create a highly porous sponge made of protein fibers.

These protein fibers are remarkably effective at capturing gold ions from electronic waste. The researchers tested the process by dismantling old computer motherboards, dissolving them in acid, and then exposing the solution to the protein fiber sponge. The gold ions adhered to the fibers, forming tiny flakes. Finally, the sponge was heated, burning away the protein and leaving behind a nugget of pure gold.

A Sustainable and Profitable Process

The researchers successfully extracted a 450-milligram nugget of 22-carat gold from just 20 old motherboards! The best part? The value of the recovered gold was a staggering 50 times higher than the cost of materials and energy used in the process.

This method not only reduces the environmental impact of e-waste, but it also offers a sustainable and profitable way to recycle precious metals. The process uses readily available, inexpensive materials, and the equipment needed is relatively simple, making it potentially scalable for commercial use.

A Vision for a Circular Economy

This groundbreaking research offers a promising path towards a more circular economy, where waste is transformed into valuable resources. The team is already working to develop this technology further, with the goal of making it commercially viable and contributing to a greener future.

As Professor Mezzenga states, “I think the possibility to scale up and make it commercially profitable are very high.”

And with the world facing a growing e-waste crisis, this innovative solution couldn't come at a better time.

SOURCE: ANTHROPOCINE