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How to Extract Gold from Computer Circuit Boards?
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Q. I have access to over 4 tons of old Computer Circuit Boards. I am wondering if anyone knows of a way that the gold can be extracted from these. I have heard that there is a solution you can soak the boards in and the gold will just "lift off" but I don't know what this is called and I'm not sure if it will actually work. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Mandi C [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Spokane Washington
. ++++++ Q. I have managed to slice the gold/copper strips from the PCB eliminating the board process. I now have an average size pill bottle full of these shavings. Would it be in my best interest to now try separating the 2 or should I sell them outright not knowing what percentage of this plated scrap is gold. The boards are of 86-92 era. I also am very curious as to why these shavings are magnetic when neither gold or copper are magnetic. One answer I got was that since electrical current has flowed though them they now have a charge to them. This sounds logical to me or is it perhaps another alloy that I don't know about. I would really appreciate any light you can shine on these matters for me. D Marshlandhobbyist - Wallingford, Connecticut |
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Q. Hi. My husband and I have access to a large amount of really old circuit boards. We are not sure of the quickest and safest way to extract the gold from them? Here in Calgary, Alberta people will pay insane amounts for the gold.
Marie S [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Q. Hi I have access to a lot of computer circuit boards brand new in fact. I want to know where can I recycle them. I heard that some people pay good money for them and I was just wondering if someone could give me their opinion on where to start even looking for a place to recycle them.
Heather B [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Pheba, Mississippi
March 27, 2008
Q. I am metal merchant and need to find out how to extract the gold from thousands of boards I have. Please help
Matthew D [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]recycling - England
April 8, 2008
A. Hi, Marie, Heather, Matthew --
E-waste has become a curse on the planet. The first problem is that amateur recycling is a wrecking ball that scatters toxic waste everywhere. Add to it that the cost of recycling the whole item is so close to break even that the rest of the toxins become unrecoverable and buried everywhere if people do 'cherry picking' on the waste. The following video, and there are dozens like it from many major environmental organizations, explains why leaving the scrapped electronics whole is a pivotal ingredient in the world gaining control over the e-waste problem:
One convenient widget for locating green recyclers is on the Crutchfield site at http://www.crutchfield.com/environmental-policy/recycling.html.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey
April 17, 2008
Q. I've been thinking about putting together a not for profit substance abuse recovery home and I'd like to understand the ins and outs of breaking down to a component level, home and business electronics and then selling them for salvage.
Do I sell circuits boards one place. Batteries another, plastic in yet another and of course our end goal is to provide some employment and fund raising.
If this won't stand on its own are there government underwriting funds available? Do you know of a guide to such grants?
Thank you,
recycling - Dayton, Ohio
April 22, 2008A. Hi, Tod. There is a "green recycler's pledge", which is intended to make sure the recovery of e-waste is part of a sustainable economy.
So "green recyclers" are forbidden from using prisons or slave labor, or other tricks which would make it impossible for legitimate businesses to compete against them. It's not possible for a small real business to compete against politically-connected firms for whom the public is paying much of their bills . . . so grants violate the spirit of the green recycler's pledge. And as we see time & time again, as each particular feeding trough runs dry, the real businesses in that field have been driven out by the unfair competition, the grant mill has moved to greener pastures, and the public is left with nothing but bills and shuttered businesses. Good luck in your endeavors, but please foreswear grants.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey
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August 31, 2008
Q. I have some old and new computers and just wanted to know if the processor has more than the other parts.I think the older computers have more than the newer one's but which parts have the most maybe I will just go for that part and leave the rest alone. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME. Dennis Rogershobbyist - Indianapolis, Indiana October 16, 2008 Q. How is the last stage to recover after go through the process and end up with gold liquid and prevent it to become black during burning Amir Hamzah Ismailresearch and development - Malaysia December 14, 2008 |
March 14, 2009A. Well here goes. I know it is very possible to profit off of old pc boards because the price of gold was a lot lower then say in the nineties gold may have been 600.00 hundred per ounce compared to now 975.00 per ounce so yes it can be profitable to dissect old boards for gold silver platinum and copper just be careful of health hazards. I will be honest, most people don't want you to know $$$$ in them there computers
michael renforth
recycle - weirton, West Virginia
April 23, 2009
Q. Was gold ever used in welding joints in old cars, can it be reclaimed?
mark greenhobbyist - Amarillo, Texas
April 25, 2009A. This strikes me as highly improbable, Mark, but if you can provide a reference I'd certainly love to look at it.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey
May 17, 2009
Q. I came across some electrical contacts from heavy duty connections and was told they were platinum or silver. They are soft enough to scratch and are harder than lead, I'm trying to find out if precious metals were used in high voltage connections.These pieces are about 50 yrs old, and I believe came from an old steel mill. Also the dime size pieces are quite heavy 4 of them weigh almost 1 ounce.Thank you...Any info would be helpful.
jim passionehobby - valencia Pennsylvania
May 19, 2009 A. Hi, Jim. If they truly are dime sized (0.0207 in3) and four of them weigh 1 ounce, then their density is 12 oz per cubic inch, i.e., .75 pounds/in3, which is much heavier than silver or lead, a little heavier than gold, and about the weight of platinum.
For this to have any validity, though, you need to carefully measure that they are dime-sized, not eyeball it, and you need to weigh them, not guess. If they are as heavy as you say, they are worth taking to a jeweler or gold dealer to be checked, as only precious metals or tungsten would be this heavy.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey
May 20, 2009A. In reference to the platinum in computers. i.e hard drives. there is only a very thin layer of in located on the disks themselves and even the amount in that is based on the age of the hard drive. the process involved in recovering that involves a lye solution which can be EXTREMELY dangerous using if all safety precautions are not followed.
robert godsey
- alhambra, Illinois
July 21, 2009A. Your circuit boards are worth Serious money if you have "tons" of them.
Average Circuit Board Values range from 25 Cents per pound for low grade power supply boards to over $4 per pound for main frame computer boards.
There has not been any computer related product with any solid gold since the early 70's and that was some main switch gear from at&t.
Everything else is gold plate from 10,000th's of an inch for standard computer products to 30,000th's of an inch for military specs.
An average pc (personal computer) has a mother board, and a few riser boards. Current market value for these mother boards is $2 per pound, and $2.50 per pound for the riser boards---better known as "finger" boards ---because of the gold plate edge connector plate.
Processor Chips which we refer to as "high-grade" can be worth $25 to as much as $100 per pound.
Hope that helps everybody---don't get "snowed" Dollar Bill Norcutt
- Richardson, Texas
October 1, 2009
Q. MY HUSBAND TOLD ME ABOUT THE GOLD IN THE COMPUTERS, SO I THOUGHT WHAT THE HECK I SAT FOR HOURS AND PULLED ALL THE PINS OFF THE PROCESSORS, IT WAS MORE THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. 15 CHIPS WAS 8.5 GRAMS, BUT I'VE TAKEN IT TO SEVERAL LOCAL CASH FOR GOLD PLACES AND MAILED IT IN EVEN AND NOBODY WILL ACCEPT IT. THEY ALL SAY IT PASSES THE ACID TEST BUT IT WILL STICK TO A MAGNET. WHAT DO I DO WITH IT NOW? I WAS EXCITED JUST TO PULL THE CRAP NOW I'M SO IRRITATED I COULD SCREAM. HELP IF YOU CAN! THANKS, PATTI
Patti L [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]first timer - Stockton, California
October 14, 2010A. To Patti L: Your pins off the chips are most likely gold-ruthenium alloy, still valuable. Ru is paramagnetic so it will stick to a magnet. The gold passes the acid test, and Ru tests magnetic.
Laszlo Seres
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
December 1, 2009
Q. Hello all,
I learned about the problems with E-waste in a college class just yesterday, and I was wondering how much of an entire computer is actually recyclable and how much isn't. can anyone give me a precise breakdown?
-john
- Newport News, Virginia
December 1, 2009Hi, John. You pose an interesting question, but it isn't answerable until it is rigorously defined.
Actually, 100% of anything is recycleable. But if you need to spend 2 pounds of chemicals and a lot of energy to recover 1 pound of product, do we call it recyclable or not? It's surely not worthwhile to create 2 pounds of waste to recover a pound of sand. But how about to recover a pound of gold?
Environmentalists often consider business the enemy, so it's probably hard to say this in your college classes, but the only way we can answer your question is by considering something recyclable if it is economically viable to recycle it. I think the correct answer is that since it costs you money to recycle a computer, rather than paying you money, computers are presently "not recyclable". When we reach the point where people pay you for scrap computers rather than you having to pay them for responsible disposal, that's the point at which they can be considered "recyclable".
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey
August 11, 2010
Q. Can I know the methods in separation of metals in mother boards and hard disk drives
At least Where can I get the information from?
student - chennai
August 14, 2010 |
Silver recovery units |
August 26, 2010
Q. I have a large number of direct TV satellite receiver's at my disposal. First let me say I do have intentions of recycling them at an approved e-waste facility in my town. I have been hearing and looking at the different ways to recover the gold from old computers. I was wondering if there was any, or is any way for this to be done on a home level. I was wondering if there was any gold in these old receivers. Doing the right thing with them is my intentions but thought if there was a chance to have some fun and maybe make a nickel at the same time it would be worth the effort. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Jay Nightingalehobbyist, construction, environmentalist - Moline, Illinois, United States
October 25, 2010A. To the people who want to know how much gold, platinum and silver is on electronic scrap you just have to multiply by the actual weight in pound. for gold multiply by .002, for platinum .001 silver .008 this is for electronics scrap segregated but not sorted I hope this is useful for somebody, thanks
ulderys frances
- hialeah, Florida usa
February 26, 2011Q. Hi Ulderys Frances
Roger Kumar
My question is about the numbers you have given above.
Is this a percentage or we multiply the pounds of weight with these to get the weight of the metals?
Can you give an example, say I have 20 pounds of PCBs, RAMS, CPU and Peripheral cards, what can I expect in terms of the precious metals.
- Santa Clara California USA
May 11, 2011
Q. I have been doing scrap metal for 5 years and I separate all components in p.c's and sell the board at 2 dollars a pound but I have bin saving all plated pins and processor chips. I have the pins separated magnetic and non but I want to know what value I should get. I have 27.6 pounds of non magnetic and 33 pounds of magnetic with no plastics on them. should I send it out for processing or sell as is they are all in ziploc bags with half pound in each. Nowhere that I go will anyone give me a straight or fair answer; any feedback will be helpful
anthony.
scrap metal - Babylon New York U.S.A..
July 31, 2011
Q. I have some large silver-coated copper pieces used at a coal power plant and I need to know A. where I can sell these to? and/or B. what is the best way to separate the silver from the copper?
Bruce Napierkowski- Lake Bluff, Illinois, USA
November 6, 2011A. Place large copper piece in clean fish tank; cover with distilled water; attach positive of 12v car battery charger to copper piece; attach negative to steel plate; place 2 inches away from copper; turn on. Silver will attract to steel; then scrape; as steel is harder than copper. it is much easier to remove plating.
Mike Hunt
- Adelaide South Australia
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Ed. note: This advice is for those who know what they are doing! Connecting a car battery to plates that are 2 inches apart in water is an invitation to a dangerous short circuit or shock for those who aren't careful.
January 4, 2012
Q. Hi, I'm just wondering if anyone's actually sent their scrap parts off to get money for them, and if so how much they got and where they sent everything. I've got a bunch of circuit boards I'd like to send out but I want to make sure I don't get shorted. Thanks!
Taylor Wright- Alexandria, Virginia, USA
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People are welcome to say how much they received but, sorry, Taylor, this is the wrong site for recommendations of who to do business with. This site is "no registration required" and semi-anonymous, and shills have been unable to refrain from posting with fictitious names, posing as satisfied customers, and glowingly describing the service of their own company :-)
Apologies but we don't post company names or testimonials here.
January 24, 2012
Q. This is a very broad question and I don't expect a specific answer. I have access to a large amount of E-waste of all types, containers full. This waste is located on a Pacific island and I would like to ship to The U.S. main land for recycling. I am not looking to profit from this only to cover costs. Would it be better for me to break the E-waste down into its sellable components or to ship it as is to recyclers. I am very early in the discovery process and would be grateful for any input.
Jeff MonroeWaste Disposal - Chico, California, U.S.
January 27, 2012
A lot of people on these blogs rush to tell you how there's no money to be made from these boards, when in fact the gold/platinum is there. I can only assume that they tell you this in order to scare people away from the practice in order to further their own goals, namely reclaiming themselves.
When there is a greater demand for anything, as you know, the price goes up ... and once enough people find that there is money to be made in these boards, of course they will become harder to get ... hence the damnation of anyone asking questions. (Yes I already know these people are going to complain about my posts, but you asked a question, and I am not one to lie in answer for my own gain).
Here is a simple and inexpensive way to go about it.
For riser cards (which of course are the easiest), simply soaking the gold fingers in muriatic, (hydrochloric) acid will make the gold coating simply "slip" off. (Muriatic acid is easily obtained from your local hardware store). Now as to the board itself, things here get a bit more difficult. The best method is to remove the gold-bearing pins and connectors from the board before soaking them in the solution. If as you say, you have literally "tons" of these boards, you likely have about a pound of gold you can reclaim. After you soak your items (boards), in the muriatic you will end up with a muddy mess that surely looks like pure trash .... do not be misled, this "mud" likely contains silver, gold and platinum. At this point you will need to revert to "Aqua Regia" in order to separate the different metals from the "mud". Let me say that Aqua Regia, while simple and cheap to make, is an extremely dangerous liquid, the fumes can not only KILL YOU but also do substantial damage to any metals that a concentration of the fumes comes in contact with.
I am not going to go into detail on Aqua Regia whereas there is a wealth of information on the web which can instruct you much better than I can.
Hope this helps.
- Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A.
January 27, 2012
That's the only thing you can assume, eh?
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey
January 28, 2012"Assume" Yes, although some may consider any semblance of logic as "beyond their reach" I Sir am quite proficient at it.
Ed Meyer
Before you mock someone, logic would suggest you think before typing.
- Kansas City Missouri U.S.A
January 30, 2012
No Ed, it is you who should think before typing -- publicly implying that as forum host I'm trying to mislead readers to protect my own vested interests in a precious metal recycling business. It's ridiculous besides being insulting.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey
January 31, 2012Ted, Whether intentional or unintentional, your facts are incorrect, Depending on when this thread was originally posted, your facts may or may not have been correct at the time, but considering that gold is over $1700 an ounce (Troy) and Platinum is over $1600 an ounce the recovery on this amount of boards could and in actuality WOULD BE substantial. Your first reply to my comment was INTENDED as a sharp barb and even you cannot deny that honestly. I of course responded in kind.
Ed Meyer
- Kansas City Missouri U.S.A
January 30, 2012
Q. Do Dell Dimension e520 have gold in them?
jacob smirh- new york city, New York
February 2, 2012
The most common gold compounds are auric chloride (AuCl3) and chlorauric .... radii; covalent radius; metallic radius; element bond length; and Van der Waals ...
Place the stripped down circuit board (all IC'S, and plastic, even heat up in oven to 3 degrees above the melting point of Solder, which can be 750 deg. F to 990 deg F, depending on Sn:Pb or Sn:An or even Silver solder. Make sure you don't reach the Gold Melt Temp of 1050.
Then take the remaining Solid material and place it in a glass tub full of Auric chloride in a well ventilated area, the solution must be diluted to 10% AuCl3 and the rest Distilled H2O. Place a 1/4" by 20" long solid Copper rod @ one end of the Glass tub so that 18" is immersed in the Solution, @ the other end of the tub place a 20" Nickel rod immersed 18", put a square wave pulsed 12 vdc/8 amp charge (-) on the copper rod and (+) on the Nickel rod.
Remove the pulsed DC charge about when the boiling stops, with rubber gloves remove the copper rod and clean it with water. The rod will be plated with the gold that was in the circuit boards. Good luck purchasing Auric Chloride, the Dept of Homeland Security might Visit you, since it has other malicious uses.
- Norwalk, Connecticut, USA