SMRTR Science & EngineeringAug 16, 2026Interesting Engineering

Electricity-driven molecule cuts chemicals 100x, recovers 89% gold from e-waste

SMRTR summary

Researchers at the University of Illinois created a molecule that uses electricity instead of harsh chemicals to extract valuable metals from e-waste, cutting chemical use by up to 100 times. In tests, it recovered 89% of gold from electronic waste, and the design can be adapted to recover other critical metals like platinum.

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