In 2024, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign showed that electricity could replace many of the chemicals traditionally used to recover gold from electronic waste. Two years later, the team has taken that work a step further.
Researchers led by chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Xiao Su have developed a redesigned molecule that removes the remaining chemical step from the process, as per a report. The molecule can bind metal ions, carry a permanent electrical charge and remain soluble in the organic phase used during extraction, allowing electricity to drive the separation process, as per an EurekAlert report.
