The University of Edinburgh has granted Lithium Universe the rights to a process that recovers gold and copper from electronic waste (e-waste), aiming to facilitate more environmentally friendly extraction of valuable metals from discarded devices.
The technology, known as Gold Copper Diamide Extraction (GCDE), was developed by professors Jason Love and Carole Morrison in the School of Chemistry, with commercialisation support from Edinburgh Innovations.
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It makes use of organic compounds to extract metals from discarded electronic materials.
Jason Love said: “Electronic waste is effectively a high‑grade ‘urban ore’. Our goal was to design chemistry that can recover those metals selectively and safely, without the energy and environmental cost of smelting.
“The diamide behaves like a molecular magnet for gold. By following with a selective copper step, we can recover two of the most valuable metals in e‑waste with high purity and lower environmental impact.”
Conventional methods for processing e-waste typically involve furnace smelting at temperatures above 1,200°C or the use of harsh leaching agents, both of which have high energy demands and environmental impacts.
In contrast, the GCDE technique employs low-temperature hydrometallurgical processes and uses small, reusable organic ligands to extract metals stepwise, without the use of cyanide, mercury or organic solvent extraction.
Lithium Universe is set to introduce and globally sub-licence this process as part of its expansion efforts in the precious metals recycling sector.
It intends to incorporate the GCDE process into its Precious Metals Recycling Division, complementing its existing methods for recovering silver from decommissioned solar panels.
E-waste is among the fastest-growing hazardous waste categories worldwide and is forecast to reach around 93.5 million tonnes by 2030.
Despite its rapid growth, only around one-fifth of e-waste is recycled through environmentally responsible practices.
Discarded electronic devices and printed circuit boards contain significant quantities of gold and copper.
Based on current prices, a tonne of standard e-waste contains gold valued at more than $46,000, while the copper content is estimated at approximately $2,000.
