Extracting Gold from Motherboards

The manufacturing of motherboards and other hardware components requires a varied amount of elements, and one of them is gold. The use of the precious metal in technology is well documented, and since it retains its high commercial value, its recovery from motherboards and other parts is something that has been considered and developed over the past few years. A very complex industrial process and hazardous materials are required for such recovery to be practical, but if you are interested in knowing whether something like this would be possible at home as a chemical experiment, then you need to see this.

Its use in technology may seem "inferior" at first glance, considering the applications, and fundamentally the historical values of gold. Symbol of power, wealth, stability in economic policies, and of course madness and greed in the hearts of men and women, gold is required in hardware components due to its conductivity and high resistance to corrosion. Needless to say, the hardware you are using right now to read these lines contains gold, and when it reaches the end of its operational life, the gold can be recovered from that hardware.

Is it worth extracting gold from hardware?

Unfortunately, the process is expensive and extremely dangerous. We already know the horrors behind copper extraction in electronic waste dumps, but gold recovery can be even worse, due to the acids and chemical reactions required to bring the process to a successful conclusion. Some time ago, Tom’s Hardware conducted a homemade gold extraction experiment from old motherboards. If the pile of dead hardware in your home has already reached epic proportions and you want to try something similar as a long-term project, be extremely careful. The materials involved are dangerous and can hurt you. A lot.

Nothing better than a good electrolysis session to perform the separation. The goal here is to remove the gold from the pins, but many enthusiasts use the same technique to remove oxide from metals in restoration projects.

Some of the acid is recovered, and the rest must be diluted for proper filtration. ALWAYS pour the acid over the water, not the other way around. The reverse process causes the first drops of water to vaporize, causing splashes. And you don't want an acid splash, I promise you.

The next step requires dissolving the result in a solution of 35% hydrochloric acid and 5% sodium hypochlorite, in a ratio of two to one. This is one of the most dangerous parts. The reaction is exothermic and releases chlorine, something you don't want in your lungs.

And that's it. From the pile of motherboards at the beginning, Tom's Hardware obtained that small gold bead. Its value? I'd say a few euros at current prices, perhaps less, definitely not viable as a source of income. However, it would probably be the perfect 'geek' gift for your significant other if you manage to place the gold in some kind of pendant. Practical, no. Possible, yes. Want to know more about this process? Watch the video from our article on recycling computers to extract gold.

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