Not all that glitters is gold, but electronic waste can be.
In the quest for sustainable solutions, a group of researchers led by Professor Raffaele Mezzenga from ETH Zurich's Department of Health Sciences and Technology has devised a method to extract gold from electronic waste using a byproduct of the cheesemaking process, according to TechXplore. "Demand for gold recovery from e-waste grows steadily due to its pervasive use in the most diverse technical applications. Current methods of gold recovery are resource-intensive, necessitating the development of more efficient extraction materials," the researchers wrote. From Electronic Waste to Gold Electronic waste, abundant with valuable metals like copper, cobalt, and gold, presents an appealing opportunity for recovery amid increasing demand for precious metals. However, existing methods for gold extraction are often energy-intensive and reliant on hazardous chemicals. Mezzenga's team, led by senior scientist Mohammad Peydayesh, developed a new approach utilizing a sponge derived from denatured whey proteins. They formed protein nanofibrils by subjecting whey proteins to acidic conditions and high…