A research team from Cornell University has developed a method to recover gold from e-waste and use it as a catalyst to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into organic materials. This approach offers a sustainable way to recycle some of the 50 million tons of e-waste generated annually, of which only 20% is currently recycled.
Amin Zadehnazari, a postdoctoral researcher in Alireza Abbaspourrad’s lab, synthesized vinyl-linked covalent organic frameworks (VCOFs) to extract gold ions and nanoparticles from circuit boards in discarded electronics. One of his VCOFs selectively captured 99.9% of the gold while minimally affecting other metals such as nickel and copper.
Zadehnazari said, “We can then use the gold-loaded COFs to convert CO2 into useful chemicals.”
“By transforming CO2 into value-added materials, we reduce waste disposal demands and provide both environmental and practical benefits. It’s a win-win for the environment.
Electronics waste is a potential gold mine, with an estimated ton of e-waste containing at least 10 times more gold than a ton of ore. With e-waste expected to reach 80 million metric tons by 2030, finding sustainable methods to recover gold is becoming crucial.
Traditional recovery methods rely on harmful chemicals like cyanide, which pose environmental risks. Zadehnazari, however, avoids these hazards by using chemical adsorption, a process where particles adhere to a surface. The research was supported by the Cornell Center for Materials Research and Cornell NMR facilities, funded by the National Science Foundation.
Journal Reference:
- Amin Zadehnazari, Florian Auras, Ataf Ali Altaf, Amin Zarei, Ahmadreza Khosropour, Saeed Amirjalayer, Alireza Abbaspourrad. Recycling e-waste into gold-loaded covalent organic framework catalysts for terminal alkyne carboxylation. Nature Communications, 2024; 15 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-55156-3
