Creating New Jewellery with precious metals recovered from electronic waste

Abstract

It is estimated that electronic and electrical equipment discarded in 2021 weigh more than 57 million tonnes, and less than one-fifth of this electronic waste (e-waste) is recycled. The Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are the integral component of any electronic equipment, and this is a useful type of waste due to their nearly 30% metal content. This research aims to explore the hydrometallurgy technique to recover precious metals from e-waste, and to transform the materials into wearable jewellery through developing new ways of utilising this material, specifically working with metals in solution.