| Title |
Utilizing cost-effective pyrocarbon for highly efficient gold retrieval from e-waste leachate |
| ID_Doc |
10407 |
| Authors |
Fu, KX; Liu, X; Zhang, XL; Zhou, SQ; Zhu, NW; Pei, Y; Luo, JM |
| Title |
Utilizing cost-effective pyrocarbon for highly efficient gold retrieval from e-waste leachate |
| Year |
2024 |
| Published |
Nature Communications, 15, 1 |
| DOI |
10.1038/s41467-024-50595-4 |
| Abstract |
Addressing burdens of electronic waste (E-waste) leachate while achieving sustainable and selective recovery of noble metals, such as gold, is highly demanded due to its limited supply and escalating prices. Here we demonstrate an environmentally-benign and practical approach for gold recovery from E-waste leachate using alginate-derived pyrocarbon sorbent. The sorbent demonstrates potent gold recovery performance compared to most previously reported advanced sorbents, showcasing high recovery capacity of 2829.7 mg g(-1), high efficiency (>99.5%), remarkable selectivity (K-d similar to 3.1 x 10(8) mL g(-1)), and robust anti-interference capabilities within environmentally relevant contexts. The aromatic structures of pyrocarbon serve as crucial electrons sources, enabling a hydroxylation process that simultaneously generates electrons and phenolic hydroxyls for the reduction of gold ions. Our investigations further uncover a "stepwise" nucleation mechanism, in which gold ions are reduced as intermediate gold-chlorine clusters, facilitating rapid reduction process by lowering energy barriers from 1.08 to -21.84 eV. Technoeconomic analysis demonstrates its economic viability with an input-output ratio as high as 1370%. Our protocol obviates the necessity for organic reagents whilst obtaining 23.96 karats gold product from real-world central processing units (CPUs) leachates. This work introduces a green sorption technique for gold recovery, emphasizing its role in promoting a circular economy and environmental sustainability. |
| Author Keywords |
|
| Index Keywords |
Index Keywords |
| Document Type |
Other |
| Open Access |
Open Access |
| Source |
Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) |
| EID |
WOS:001274069500026 |
| WoS Category |
Multidisciplinary Sciences |
| Research Area |
Science & Technology - Other Topics |
| PDF |
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-50595-4.pdf
|