The Royal Mint, the UK’s coin maker, has started processing electronic waste to extract gold. They have built a large industrial plant in Llantrisant, Wales, to remove gold from old circuit boards.
This initiative addresses the growing problem of e-waste, which the UN estimates reached 62 million tonnes in 2022 and is expected to increase by a third by 2030. The Royal Mint aims to process over 4,000 tonnes of e-waste annually, generating up to 450kg of gold worth about £27 million.
E-waste, or electronic waste, refers to discarded electrical or electronic devices such as old computers, phones, televisions and household appliances. When they are no longer useful, they become e-waste.
At the plant, circuit boards are heated to remove their components, which are then sorted and processed to isolate gold-containing parts. These parts are treated with a chemical solution that extracts the gold, which is then filtered and heated to produce pure gold nuggets. Initially, the extracted gold will be used to craft jewellery, with plans to later produce commemorative coins.
“What we're doing here is urban mining,” says head of sustainability Inga Doak.
“We're taking a waste product that's being produced by society and we're mining the gold from that waste product and starting to see the value in that finite resource.”
This process is notable for its low energy consumption and use of recyclable chemicals, contrasting with traditional gold recovery methods that are energy-intensive and use toxic chemicals. This project not only keeps e-waste within the UK but also highlights the value in recycling and sustainable practices.
