KIT458 – CHEMICAL PROCESSING

GROUP 4: EXTRACTION OF GOLD

FROM ELECTRONIC WASTE
DR. MOHD. HAZWAN HUSSIN
 Group 4 05 Catherine Lim Lee Ping (143677)

Members 06 Nivethah Sivam (141162)

01 Nur Siti Fatihah Binti Jamaludin

(134812) 07 Muhammad Taufiq B Ahmad (134802)

02 Fatin Farhana Bt Baharuddin (138973)

Nur Amanina Syazlin Bt Mohd Anuari
08 (138011)

03 Nurul Hidayah Bt Mohd Yusoff (139020)

Yasmin Syairah Bt Ahmad Tajud-din
09 (139042)

04 Nor Azira Bt Rosli (134806)

10 Mohd Hisyam B Mohd Suhaimi

(134537)
• Content
• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Objective
• Procedure & Summary
• Discussion
• Suggestion to Increase
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgement
• Reference
 INTRODUCTION
Electronic items, such as computers,
mobile phones, televisions, VCRs, internal
chips and others, they become electronic
waste upon the end of their lifespan,
known as "e-waste. They contain gold
plated materials where it processed in a
complex metallurgical flowsheet to extract
pure gold high yield.
The first method for processing gold from
e-waste is to remove cyanide from gold.
Next is removing gold from e-waste is by
treating acids. HCl and HNO3 solution
(aqua regia) were useful chemicals in
removing gold from e-waste. This shows
the cost-effectiveness of using gold in
electronic equipment in a 'recycling style'
approach.
 Literature Review
• Hydrometallurgical processes are the most effective way to for e-waste treatment.
• Use of aqua regia is a traditional method for dissolving gold.

• Biohydrometallurgy is the process of dissolving metal from ore or recovering valuable metals
from water, using certain microorganisms as their metabolites on oxidation, reduction,
dissolution and absorption of certain minerals and elements.

• Pyrometallurgy is defined by using smelting furnaces, incinerations, combustions and

pyrolysis. However, the complex chemical composition of e-waste makes pyrometallurgical
methods unfavourable.

• Hydrometallurgical processes involve the dissolution of metals in alkaline or acid medium.

This technology helps for e-waste treatment by a double oxidizing-acid leaching treatment
using complex agents.

• Aqua regia is a traditional medium for dissolving gold. The reaction mechanism is as given
below;
2HNO3 + 6HCl → 2NO + 4H2O + 3Cl2
2Au + 11HCl + 3HNO3 → 2HAuCl4+ 3NOCl + 6H2O
 OBJECTIVE
To analyse the process of gold
01 extraction.

EXTRACTION
To extract gold from electronic waste OF GOLD
02 based on hydrometallurgy process. FROM E-
WASTW

To understand the step for the gold

03
purification.
 PROCEDURE

Preparation of Aqua Brown Production

gold fragments
Regia sediment of gold
• 1.5 kg of gold plated • The brown powder is poured into
• One part of HNO3 are
material are soaked in the • A brown sediment of the hot crucible and is heated
mixed with three parts of
solution of 5 litres of gold is observed and is until it melts.
HCl to produced aqua
HNO3 and 5 litres of left settle for 30-60 • A spatula of borax powder is
regia.
water for a week. minutes. added into the molten.
• The solution is poured
• Then, colander is used to • The brown sediment is • After it is completely melted, the
carefully into the beaker
filter any gold fragments decanted and is gold fragments is taken out and
of the gold fragments to
and a magnet from a hard soaked using hot put into a beaker of mixture of 2
avoid overflow.
disk is used to draw out water. parts of HNO3 and 1 part of water.
• The solution is poured
the leftover metal • The process is
into the filter funnel • The hard gold product is cleaned
materials from gold repeated 3 times.
containing cotton wool. and dried.
material. • A hot air blow gun is
• A small amount of • The gold is weighed and the
• Then, the water is rinsed used to completely dry
sodium metabisulfite is mass is recorded.
off and the gold fragment the brown..
poured slowly until it • The steps are repeated for any
is dried on a mesh cloth stop dissolving. leftover in the aqua regia solution.
and later put into a
beaker.
 SUMMARY
E-waste product   Gold plated materials The gold fragment is The water is rinsed off
with gold plated filtered and a magnet is
are soaked into the and the gold fragments is
used to draw out the dried on a mesh cloth
materials are mixed solution of and leftover metals from the before put it in the beaker.
collected. water. gold materials.

Brown sediment is Sodium metabisulfite The solution is filtered Aqua regia is poured
observed and is left is added until it stop by using filter funnel carefully into the
settle for 30-60 min. dissolving. with cotton wool. beaker.

The sediment is  The hard gold is formed

The brown precipitate is The brown powder is
decanted and rinsed
dried completely and melted. A small amount and is put in solution of
with hot water for 3 brown powder is formed. of borax powder is used. and water.
times.

All the steps is repeated The gold is cleaned

with the leftover gold
fragments in aqua regia and dried. Then it is
solution. weighed.
 DISCUSSION
From the video, the mass of the first extraction of gold is 81.5g and the second extraction obtained 2.3g.
Therefore, the total of mass of the gold is 83.8g successfully extracted from 1.5kg of e-waste product.

AQUA REGIA
• It can dissolve the noble metals like gold and platinum.
• It is combination of HCl and HNO3.
HNO3 (aq) + 3 HCl (aq) → NOCl (g) + Cl2 (g) + 2 H2O (l)
• Nitrosyl chloride and chlorine gas is the volatile products. Once the volatile products escape from
solution, the aqua regia loses its potency.
• Nitric acid in aqua regia act as oxidizer which it will dissolve a virtually undetectable amount of gold and
forming gold ions.
• Hydrochloric acid supplies chloride ions which will react with the gold ions and tetrachloroaurate(III)
anions is formed.
• The gold dissolves by chlorine in aqua regia and form chloroauric acid.
 DISCUSSION
SODIUM METABISULFITE
• It used to precipitate the dissolved gold out aqua regia and gold chloride solution.
• It can recover up to 99.95% of pure gold when the precipitated gold is thoroughly rinsed.
• It can be used along with urea (carbamide).
• Urea can be used as neutralizer of excess nitric acid in aqua regia solution.

PRECAUTIONS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF GOLD USING AQUA REGIA

• Wear lab coat, gloves and googles when handling high concentrated acids.
• Aqua regia cannot be boiled or simmered in house or the place that is not well ventilated.
• Use a vent hood with exhaust fan or simmer should be use.
SUGGESTION/COMMENT
Hydrometallurgy changes to
01 biohydrometallurgy which
comprises bio-oxidation and
bio-sorption.

02 The uses of MX3 concentrate

as a substitute for nitric acid
 CONCLUSION Place Your Picture Here
 There are four processes that had been analysed in
order to extract the metals
 The extraction of gold from e-waste can be achieved by
using hydrometallurgy process.
 Some examples of aqueous solution that can be used is
nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. These acids have been
widely used, but it has some limitations.

 Hydrometallurgy process can be conducted in six

stages:
• Grinding the raw material which is CPU
• Leaching it in nitric acid
• Leaching it in an aqua regia
• Removing the excess nitric acid
• Extracting the gold and lastly washing
• Purifying the gold deposits
 REFERENCES

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