A new method of extracting gold and other precious metals from electronic waste and can also be adapted for mining use is being claimed by EnviroLeach Technologies in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

According to an article on Mining.com, the firm has partnered with Jabil Inc. to implement use of the purported environmentally safe process at a plant to open in December in Memphis,Tennessee, to help retrieve precious metals from the roughly 50 metric tons of scrapped electronics dumped in landfills worldwide annually.

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The process can also be used in the mining industry instead of using cyanide, acid digestion or other conventional methods that are banned in some areas of the world, according to EnviroLeach CEO Duane Nelson.

Nelson claims the new process uses a combined solution of five inorganic components mixed with water that can be reused after recharging.

Designer abandoned original reverse design late in the process Also in our Oct. 30 issue, Mike Diamond presents an interesting question in his Collectors’ Clearinghouse column: How many errors can one coin have?

The proprietary process involves shredding discarded circuit boards and other components from electronic devices that contain gold and other precious metals.  According to the Mining.com article, the proprietary solution along with ore concentrate or shredded e-waste is forced through cells of man-made diamond plates and then electrified, separating the gold and other precious metals from the solution.