New Method Uses E-Waste Gold to Convert CO2 Into Organic Materials

A Cornell University-led research team has developed a method for extracting gold from electronics waste, then using the recovered precious metal as a catalyst for converting carbon dioxide (CO₂), a greenhouse gas, to organic materials.

The method could provide a sustainable use for some of the approximately 50 million tons of e-waste discarded each year, only 20% of which is recycled, according to Amin Zadehnazari, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Alireza Abbaspourrad, professor of food chemistry and ingredient technology.

Zadehnazari synthesized a pair of vinyl-linked covalent organic frameworks (VCOFs) to remove gold ions and nanoparticles from circuit boards in discarded electronic devices.

One of his VCOFs was shown to selectively capture 99.9% of the gold and very little of other metals, including nickel and copper, from the devices.

"We can then use the gold-loaded COFs to convert CO₂ into useful chemicals," Zadehnazari said.

"By transforming CO₂ into value-added materials, we not only reduce waste disposal demands, we also provide both environmental and practical benefits. It's kind of a win-win for the environment."

Abbaspourrad is corresponding author and Zadehnazari lead author of "Recycling E-waste Into Gold-loaded Covalent Organic Framework Catalysts for Terminal Alkyne Carboxylation," which published in Nature Communications.

Electronics waste is a literal gold mine: It's estimated that a ton of e-waste contains at least 10 times more gold than a ton of the ore from which gold is extracted.

And with an anticipated 80 million metric tons of e-waste by 2030, it's increasingly important to find ways to recover that precious metal.

Traditional methods for recovering gold from e-waste involve harsh chemicals, including cyanide, which pose environmental risks.

Zadehnazari's method is achieved without hazardous chemicals, using chemical adsorption -- the adhesion of particles to a surface.

The research made use of the Cornell Center for Materials Research and the Cornell NMR facilities, both of which are funded by the National Science Foundation.

-Note: This news release was originally written by Tom Fleischman, courtesy of the Cornell Chronicle, and was published by Cornell University. As it has been republished, it may deviate from our style guide.