The Royal Mint Opened New Factory to Boost Gold Extraction from E-Waste
The innovative technology has been scaled from laboratory to an industrial level for the first time.
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The UK Royal Mint announced opening of a state-of-the-art facility in South Wales to boost extraction of gold from electronic waste. The 3,700 square metre facility will make use of patented technology from Canadian firm Excir, to extract gold from printed circuit boards (PCBs) found in electronic items such as televisions, laptops and mobile phones in a short period of time.
The innovative technology has been scaled from laboratory to an industrial level for the first time. The facility will have annual capacity to process approximately 4,000 tonnes of PCBs from electronic waste. The new factory will provide the Royal Mint with a more sustainable way to mine high-quality 999.9 purity gold, thus helping it reduce its dependence on traditional mining techniques.
According to the Mint press release, the technology is highly cost-effective as it operates at room temperature, in addition to being energy-efficient.
Commenting on the development, Anne Jessopp, Chief Executive Officer, stated that the opening of the factory marks a pivotal step in its journey. The move will not only preserve finite precious metals for future generations, but will also preserve the expert craftsmanship of the Royal Mint by creating new jobs and offering re-skilling opportunities to its employees, Jessopp added.
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