The British Mint to launch a gold mining factory of old gadgets in 2023
In Britain, they mentioned the launch date of the first factory, which will extract precious metals from waste. The old gadgets recycling facility will begin operations in 2023, according to CNBC.
Gold and silver are often used in printed circuit boards for electronic equipment due to their high conductivity. Metals are hard to get out of device parts, so they end up in landfills along with outdated and broken gadgets. The British Mint has found a way to make it easier to extract valuable materials from waste by partnering with Canadian startup Excir, which has developed chemical solutions to extract gold and silver from microcircuits. The new technology makes it possible to extract metals with a high degree of purity within seconds at room temperature.
The Royal Mint plans to start construction on the factory before the end of March. It will be able to extract up to 99 percent gold, silver, palladium and copper from the circuit boards of smartphones, computers and other electronics. According to the plans, the company will process 90 tons of waste every week – so workers will extract hundreds of kilos of precious metals per year.
The factory will be located in South Wales. De Munt announced its intention to set up a company in the autumn of 2021. In October, the government agency signed an agreement with Excir.
Source: Lenta
