Old computers and office equipment cost mere pennies on the secondary market because they are not used for their intended purpose. The governments of European countries are developing a bill according to which manufacturers of devices will be obliged to engage in their subsequent disposal, since such equipment contains a lot of chemical elements that negatively affect the environment. However, there are also precious metals, including gold. It is quite possible to get it. How much gold is in the computer, and how to get it out of it?
Techniques for extracting gold from a computer
There are several methods for extracting precious metals from components of computer equipment and office equipment. All technologies involve the use of chemical reagents.
Extracting gold from the processor
Etching. Instructions for extracting gold from office equipment by Josehf Murchison
Josehf Murchison is an engineer and chemist who was one of the first to come up with a “household” option for etching Au from equipment. He shared these instructions on the forum. It is performed as follows:
- Necessary materials for gold extraction. You will need a solution of hydrochloric acid, methyl alcohol, and sodium salt of boric acid. The equipment includes a burner, with which you can melt metal and get one ingot.
- We remove circuit boards from gold-containing electronics. You can take anything that has a gilded color. The parts need to be crushed (PCBs can easily be broken by hand).
- Place in hydrochloric acid solution for one week. It is recommended to stir the contents every day. The gold there will gradually flake off. This can be seen by the dark “flakes” that form.
- We pass the exfoliated pieces through a regular coffee filter. Gauze is not recommended. Can be replaced with a fiber filter for a vacuum cleaner (do not use HEPA or paper filters).
- Treat with methyl alcohol. Methanol is toxic, so it is imperative to protect your respiratory system while working.
- Add sodium salt of boric acid to reduce the melting point of gold. You can simply sprinkle it on the resulting sediment. Otherwise, the metal will have to be heated to the point of melting to 1064 degrees.
- Melt it on a burner into a gold bar and cool it.
How much gold is in a computer?
A significant portion of the gold is contained in the PC block in:
- FCPGA body pins (no more than 12 milligrams);
- in an LGA package (approximately 3 milligrams);
- connectors (approximately 3 milligrams);
- PCIE and PCI connectors (approximately a couple of milligrams);
- slots responsible for memory (up to a milligram).
It is worth noting that the precious metal can also be found in coolers, power supplies and keyboards.
On average, one PC contains no more than 30 milligrams of gold. However, for example, a VIP segment board contains much more metal. But this is not in order to improve the functional qualities of the computer equipment, but, most likely, to emphasize the status of the owner of such a board.
If you extract all the gold from one modern PC, you can get no more than 100 rubles. Therefore, the extraction of precious metals from current computers is not entirely profitable. For these purposes, it is best to use old PCs. They contain more gold, and they can be, albeit a small, source of income from the secondary use of the precious metal.
We recommend reading: Russia's gold reserves: history and current realities
Motherboard with processor
Gold, as well as other precious metals, are mainly concentrated in the main parts of the computer. This includes the processor with the motherboard. Since these elements perform one of the main functions in office equipment, they, accordingly, require more gold.
Information! The motherboard is the main coordinator of absolutely all structures that are responsible for the operation of the computer. Without this part, all other elements can be considered spare parts.
On the motherboard, gold can be found in:
- jumpers and ports;
- PCI and IDE connectors;
- memory slots, AGP and ISA;
- processor sockets.
As for the chip that processes information, the metal content will also differ in different types of processor:
- in 486 SX, 486 DX2-80, IBM 5*86C and Cyrix CX486 - about 5.5 grams;
- Pentium PRO, AMD, as well as Intel i435 DX4 contain no more than 11.5 grams.
We recommend reading: Soviet SNP connectors containing gold
As you can see, the total amount of gold collected from one computer will differ slightly due to the use of different processor models.
Safety rules when working with acids
All work with acids must be carried out outdoors (if this is a room, then it must be with a forced air recovery system). It is also necessary to use personal protective equipment (respirator, mask, gloves).
Reagents cannot be reused! It is necessary to mix hydrochloric and nitric acid immediately before refining.
There are a lot of precious metals hidden in computers
Precious metals used in technology
With the improvement of PC models, the total volume of precious metals used is reduced. And this has nothing to do with saving gold or other metals. It’s just that the development of IT technologies is moving in the direction of increasing complexity, using a small number of parts. There was much more gold in computers of the 90s than in today's office equipment.
What is noteworthy is that inside the PC, in addition to gold, a small amount of other precious metals is used, namely: palladium, platinum, ruthenium, silver and tantalum.
The above alloys are contained in office equipment in a small volume, but play an important role in the operation of the PC.
We recommend reading: Review of precious metals quotations in Ukraine and Belarus in the first half of August 2015
Section question - answer
How much gold does an Intel processor contain?
Expert opinion
Zavorotniy Alexey
Service engineer
A modern Intel processor contains only 3–4 mg of gold.
How much gold does the motherboard contain?
Expert opinion
Zavorotniy Alexey
Service engineer
A modern motherboard with gold-plated contacts can have approximately 4 - 5 mg of gold.
How much gold does a laptop contain?
Expert opinion
Zavorotniy Alexey
Service engineer
The precious metal content is approximately 0.3 – 0.5 mg. There is a legend that expensive "gaming" laptops contain much more. But this is a myth.
Details of an old laptop
Klondike on the desktop, or are there precious metals in computers?
It is a rare article devoted to the accounting of office equipment without mentioning the accounting of the precious metals contained in it. However, is it possible to say with confidence that they really are there? Let's try to figure it out. We will not discuss various specific equipment: medical, scientific, etc. Let’s talk about what most employees of institutions use: computers, printers, copiers, etc.
How much precious metals are contained in office equipment?
Gold is everywhere: in construction sand, in sea water and even in the human body. And office equipment has it. The question is not whether there is gold at all, but how much of it can be extracted and what it will cost. So how many precious metals can be found in office equipment? Today there are no current data at the federal level that can be presented to the auditor.
However, there is a sufficient amount of indirect evidence that may well cool the ardor of office gold diggers. The most striking indirect indicator of the absence of significant quantities of precious metals in office equipment is precisely the absence of any direct data. If not a single government body has yet bothered to publish a document providing at least background information on the content of precious metals in modern office equipment, then there is nothing to write about. The official website of the Russian Assay Chamber contains a response to a request dated November 29, 2003, which states that the Russian Assay Chamber does not have data on the content of precious metals in imported computers.
Disposal of office equipment through specialized organizations
In accordance with Art. 14 of the Federal Law of June 24, 1998 No. 89-FZ “On Production and Consumption Waste”, special requirements for the treatment procedure apply only to waste belonging to hazard classes I-IV. Article 51 of the Federal Law of January 10, 2002 No. 7-FZ “On Environmental Protection” also limits operations only in relation to hazardous or radioactive waste.
According to the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated October 26, 2000 No. 818 “On the procedure for maintaining the state cadastre of waste and carrying out certification of hazardous waste”, Order of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia dated December 2, 2002 No. 785 “On approval of the passport of hazardous waste” (hereinafter referred to as Order No. 785) waste hazard criteria are toxic; fire hazard; explosion hazard; high reactivity; content of pathogens of infectious diseases.
Moreover, in clause 8.1 of Appendix 2 to Order No. 785, toxicity is defined as the ability to cause serious, protracted or chronic diseases in people, including cancer, when ingested through the respiratory, digestive or skin organs.
Consequently, restrictions on disposal as household waste apply only to those types of waste for which their danger is documented.
As for the economic component of recycling office equipment through specialized organizations, market analysis shows that in this case the institution will not be able to make a profit. Let's explain why.
Organizations working with decommissioned computers and other office equipment offer only two types of services: purchasing boards and components from computers and office equipment; complete recycling.
At the same time, for one fee you can earn 5-10 rubles. Having disassembled the computer*, you can remove 1-5 boards with different configurations, a power supply, a hard drive (all together costs approximately 50 rubles). Considering the prices of gasoline or public transport, the proceeds will only be enough to deliver parts to the buyer. In addition, you will still have to dispose of the case and other non-electronic components.
From the data presented we can conclude: the content of precious metals is so insignificant that it does not cover the costs of disposal. Disposal through a specialized organization will allow, in particular, to avoid questions during an audit about where the decommissioned equipment actually went. But you will have to pay extra for this (see price list - 300 rubles for the examination).
Of course, recycling office equipment through specialized organizations that ensure environmentally safe destruction of hazardous substances has deep environmental meaning. But if you seriously care about the environment, you need to solve other issues first: prohibit drivers from dumping used oil on the ground; ensure control of construction waste during repair work; ban the disposal of broken office chairs in landfills.
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How to get it at home?
To obtain gold from PC yourself at home, you will need hydrogen peroxide and citric acid. To do this, dilute one part of peroxide in a couple of parts of acid and mix thoroughly. After this, you need to send those parts that contain gold into the composition and leave it for seven days. After the specified time, all precious metals will appear at the bottom of the container. Then the liquid must be passed through a filter. Next, the gold needs to be cleaned (you can pour vodka on the metal).
When working with acid, you need to wear gloves.
Gold separation steps
The first step is to prepare all the gold-plated contacts and remove the connectors from the boards, and separate the contacts from the connectors. Every home has wire cutters, side cutters and screwdrivers, so this is very easy to do. You need to prepare carefully, because the further process requires practical skills and knowledge.
Sell gold
After this work has been completed, you should move on to the next stage. The electrolysis process is a chemical reaction. It is carried out in a special bath with sulfuric acid. All parts should be placed in the cathode in the form of a container. This is done for the convenience of this stage. The anode is made of copper.
The copper anode is dissolved in acid and falls on the surface of the cathode. Gold remains as a sediment at the bottom of the cathode. After this, all content is subjected to multiple filtering steps. First, everything is filtered in sulfuric acid diluted with water. This is done so that the paper is not exposed to acid.
Further filtration can be carried out using a paper filter. The resulting metal deposit undergoes the next stage. It is placed in hydrochloric acid diluted with chlorine bleach. To do everything right, you need to strictly adhere to technology and proportions. The ratio of acid and bleach is 2:1. After which everything is filtered again on a paper filter.
Sell gold
At this stage, gold chloride is obtained. To obtain metallic gold from it, you need to place everything in an aqueous solution of sodium bisulfite. The resulting powder should be placed in a crucible and melted until an ingot is obtained.
