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If your bottle of old cooking oil can help Save the Earth And your smartphone? This is a major idea for Finnish researchers to make groundbreaking discoveries. Scientists from the University of Helsinki and Jyväskylä University have discovered that you can Electronic waste Use common kitchen ingredients such as vegetable oil and hydrogen peroxide. This sustainable and scalable approach published in the Journal of Chemical Engineering could change the way we dig precious metals from the growing electronic waste heaps.
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Old smartphones are becoming small data centers
Scientists have discovered a new way to extract silver from electronic products by using edible oil. (Gaoka Bridge Uni/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
How to recover silver from e-waste
This is how it works. Fatty acids found in oils such as sunflower seeds or olive oil are mixed with hydrogen peroxide. When heated slightly, the combination safely dissolves the silver from the old board, wire or keyboard connector. Then, using ethyl acetate (ethyl acetate) as a toxic substitute for industrial solvents, the researchers pulled out silver in solid form. Unlike traditional methods that rely on stimulation or cyanide-based solutions, this technology avoids Toxic runoff and air pollution. Think of it as a salad seasoning encounter with a science lab without environmental chaos.
Why urgently need to recycle silver from e-waste
Silver powers the devices you use every day, such as phones, solar panels, electric cars and even medical technology. But less than 20% is recycled. As demand rises and natural resources shrink, finding clean ways to recover silver is not only smart, it is necessary. The price of silver has soared six times over the past 25 years. At the same time, supply lags. This literally makes e-waste a gold mine because anyone who can poison its hidden metal in a non-toxic environment.
New technology reclaims 92% of electric battery metal
The fatty acids found in edible oils can stabilize silver ions for easy extraction. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Image)
How scientists use fatty acids and light to extract silver
To figure out exactly how this works, the researchers used advanced computer models to study how fatty acids interact with silver ions. Not only does the process stabilize the silver color, but it can also be easily restored with lightweight and simple solvents. Better yet, ingredients can be reused and there is no chemical waste or a large cost. And it is highly selective. The method targets silver while leaving other metals behind, an important step in urban mining. In testing, even silver-coated keyboard connectors were cleanly processed into pure elemental silver powder using the system.
Indian workers screened a bunch of pre-used phones at the e-waste workshop in New Delhi, India on December 5, 2023. (Yawar Nazir/Getty image)
What does this mean to you
This research brings us closer to a safe, at-home or small-scale recycling kit that can recover silver from old gadgets. Recyclers and manufacturers can adopt this approach to reduce chemical waste and operating costs while protecting workers and the environment. This approach supports the future without wasted. It can make valuable materials in use, thus reducing the need for mining and pollution. Silver is essential for making many of the technical items we use every day. Responsible reuse of it means lower costs and less reliance on mining resources.
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Kurt’s key points
We already know that waste is a problem. Now, this may also be the solution. By turning everyday ingredients into powerful recycling tools, scientists show us the possibilities of chemistry and sustainability encounters. The process is still perfect, but the promise is clear: a green future, recycling valuable metals does not lose the earth or our health.
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If you could extract silver from old gadgets using tools in your kitchen, can you do it? Or should it be left to professionals? By writing to us, let us know cyberguy.com/contact
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