Recycled Gold from Old Mobile Phones Shines Again in Jewelry Store Windows

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Every year some 50 million tons of electronic waste are discarded, a weight greater than that of “enough Eiffel Towers to occupy the entire island of Manhattan,” according to the United Nations. Mobile phones, computers or video consoles hide precious metals inside, which can be recycled to create jewelry. And some brands take advantage of the gold and silver from these devices to create bracelets, necklaces and earrings.Only 17.4% of e-waste worldwide is recycled, according to data from the 2020 Global E-Waste Monitor report. Of the rest, some ends up in landfills where it breaks down and releases toxins into the air, soil and groundwater. A problem that could worsen considering that the amount of electronic waste is expected to increase at an alarming rate in the coming years. If in 2019 more than 53 million tons of this waste were generated, in 2030 the figure will rise to 74 million, according to the aforementioned report.

These devices are often rich in precious metals and minerals that are good conductors of electricity, such as gold, silver, platinum, and copper. “Electronics companies spend a fortune buying and processing precious minerals, only to see them buried in landfills,” says the World Economic Forum. It is precisely there that some jewelry companies such as Lylie, Nowa and AuTerra have seen an opportunity, which create jewelry from gold or silver from electronic waste.

 In the case of AuTerra, the refining process begins with the manual dismantling of these devices and the separation of their components. “The circuit boards go through a crusher before being introduced into the furnace, which results in two materials: slag, which is a by-product that can be used in road construction, and a mixed metallic mass,” they explain. company sources. This mass is a combination of copper, gold, silver and other metals, which finally go through a recycling process and are melted down “to guarantee a pure and high-quality material.”

Courtesy: www.morningexpress.in