A Curtin scientist is collaborating with a South Korean production company to research a new method of recovering precious metals hidden in discarded smartphones and other end-of-life consumer products.
Go to any landfill and you’ll discover a sea of waste, but it’s a sea that hides a treasure trove of precious metals. A smashed computer could reveal a central processing unit lined with gold. A broken LCD monitor could expose a cathode ray tube composed of copper. And these precious metals can all be mined, if treated correctly.
For some countries, it’s reasonable to say this unorthodox source may act as a lifeline. This is particularly true for South Korea, which imports 99.3 per cent of its metals due to a scarcity of natural resources.
Scooped by
Kim Flintoff
onto Curtin Global Challenges Teaching Resources |