How much gold is in a circuit board?
The gold content present in the PCBs depends on the type of PCB used in each device, and may vary between 140 and 700 g of gold per tonne of PCB. The gold content found in these PCBs is much higher than the average levels found in gold ore, which is currently 5-10 g of gold per tonne of ore.
What electrical components contain gold?
Today, we’d like to give you a checklist of other easily overlooked electronic devices that contain gold too:
- Remotes of All Kinds.
- Old Stereo Components.
- VCRs, CD Players and DVD players.
- Older CB, Ham, and Shortwave Radios.
- Two Ways to Collect Quantities of these Devices to Recycle.
Is gold used on circuit boards?
Gold is an important element in the design of printed circuit boards, and looking closely at most PCBs will reveal that the ‘fingers’ on the board include metal contacts fabricated from gold.
How much gold is in a control board?
Magann: A PC circuit board, where the gold is, weighs about a pound. If you had a ton of those boards, you should have 5 troy ounces of gold.
Is it worth extracting gold from electronics?
The worth you’ll get from recovering gold in electronics depends on two factors: the type of electronic waste you’ll be extracting gold from and whether you’ll undertake the extraction process on a large scale or small scale. If you intend to conduct large-scale gold recovery from electronics, then yes, it is worth it.
What circuit boards have the most gold in them?
Here are some “golden age” items that have large printed circuit boards and therefore, comparatively large quantities of gold.
- Jumbo old video-playing devices like VCRs and Sony Betamax players.
- Old camcorders – the bigger the better.
- Early digital still cameras – again, the bigger the better.
How do you remove gold from circuit boards without chemicals?
To get started, add the sea salt into a beaker, pour the vinegar in, and stir until the salt dissolves. Vinegar and salt form a powerful, but non-corrosive stripping solution needed to etch out the tiny gold particles on the computer parts.
How much gold is in a flat screen TV?
You might wonder how much gold is in a flat screen TV, knowing that many electronics get dipped in gold or sealed with it. You won’t find much reclaimable gold in a single flat-screen TV – only about 20 cents worth.
How do you get gold out of circuit boards?
Separate the gold flakes from the solution by pouring it through a coffee filter. Allow the solution to drip through to a third glass beaker . The gold flakes will remain on the filter. Fill the plastic tray with water to half of its depth, place the remaining circuit board scrap in it and rinse.
How do I recover gold from circuit boards?
Place the gold-plated parts of the circuit board into a container. Add two parts hydrochloric acid and one part hydrogen peroxide, which makes a weak 3 percent concentration. Leave the parts soaking for a week, stirring occasionally. The solution darkens, and the gold flakes off.
There are about five troy ounces of gold in 2,000 PC circuit boards or 200 complete laptops. There is typically more gold content in older supercomputers and desktop computers (from the 1990s or earlier). [2]