CPU Gold Recovery:
CPU Gold Recovery: How to Find Gold in Ceramic CPUs
Gold is used throughout many electronics, including CPUs, computer motherboards, and boards. Although very little gold can be found in a single CPU, processing can equate to some high value when done on a larger scale. This article will explain several processes, such as ceramic CPU gold recovery and computer motherboard gold recovery, including tools and safety measures.
Does CPU Have Gold?
Gold finds its application in CPUs and electronics because of its outstanding conductivity, oxidation resistance, and its good characteristic of persistence over time. The gold mainly appears in:
- Pins: The small connecting gold-plated connectors.
- Gold plating/coating: Usually applied to or coat connectors along with circuits.
- Kovar Lids: High-grade CPUs sometimes hold kovar.
Gold is mainly associated with CPUs, it also occurs in motherboards and other computer boards. Making it worthwhile to recover.
Tools and Materials to Recover Gold from CPUs, Motherboards, and Boards:
- Safety Gear: Gloves, goggles, and a mask for safe handling of chemicals.
- Chemicals: Nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, and oxidizing agents such as NO₂.
- Laboratory Equipment: Beakers (e.g., Griffin beakers), a hot plate, a chemical reactor, and filter papers.
- Other Resources: Debris and soil-free work surface, blacksmith’s anvil to break it apart, and tools for extracting.
Instructions for Gold Recovery CPU:
Gather and Prepare the Parts: Get CPUs, motherboards, and other computer boards. Identify ceramic CPUs and quality components because they contain a greater amount of gold ratio.
Take it apart for Extraction: Remove the gold-plated pins, connectors, and other parts with gold coating. Ensure no traces of thermal paste, grease, or debris remain on the parts.
Chemical Digestion: Dissolve unwanted materials, such as copper, lead, tungsten(iv) oxide, and silicon, in nitric acid inside a chemical reactor-allowing gold to separate from other elements.
Filter and Refine Gold: Pass the solution through a filter paper with a laboratory-grade filter. Rinse the extracted substance to remove salts, potassium, ammonium residue, and other oxides.
Smelting and Solidification: Melt the gold particles at room temperature using a hot plate. Use a blacksmith’s anvil or something equivalent to melt the substance and solidify it into a nugget or a coating.
Ceramic CPU Gold Recovery Compared to Other Processes:
- Ceramic CPUs: The older ones have a higher gold ratio than the modern silicon-based ones.
- Motherboards and Boards: Gold is present in connectors, circuits, and platings. Computer motherboard gold recovery focuses on scraping and processing these areas.
- Thermal Paste Consideration: Components should be free of thermal paste, grease, or powder, as these can interfere with chemical reactions. Look at this article to learn about Ceramic CPUs deeply
Chemistry of Gold Recovery:
Gold recovery is, after all, a combination of chemical reactions. An overview of the chemistry of gold recovery, generally speaking:
- Oxidizing Agents: NO₂ is just one example of an oxidizing agent which oxidizes unwanted metals.
- Chemical Bases: Bases and salts are used to neutralize acidic solutions.
- Platinum and Gold Separation: Platinum or tungsten(iv) oxide requires unique agents for separation
- Key Ratios: The chemical ratios should be accurate to have a successful gold recovery. Some examples consist of:
- 4:1 acid-to-metal ratio for digestion.
- Filter the gold particles with 0.5 liters of solution per 100 grams of material.
Practical Applications of Recovering of Gold from CPUs:
- Recycling: The recovered gold is used to make new electronics.
- Jewelry: Pure gold can be manufactured into gems, ornaments, or even pleasure artifacts.
- Industrial Use: The gold alloys and platings are used in precision tools.
Modernization of Gold Recovery Methods:
Methods of extracting gold from CPUs, motherboards, and boards have been developed, leading to increased speed and volume with reduced toxicity and waste.
