11/10/2025

Chemistry unlocks precious metals from tech waste

British startup DEScycle uses chemicals to dissolve discarded tech and extract precious metals at room temperature as an alternative to energy-hungry smelting. In collaboration with Gap Group North East, a leading British electrical waste processor, the startup is set to incorporate its technology into existing waste processing operations. Metals that may be recovered from the process range from gold and copper to rare earths and valuable battery components.

■Class discussion: Circuit boards and their precious metals are in products ranging from computers to most household appliances. When those products are discarded, what share gets recycled? How much of the plastic waste put in recycling bins ends up in landfills around the world? Do we need to develop more low-energy methods to convert our trash into valuable materials? Archeologists sift through ancient waste dumps to learn how people lived. What will future researchers think of us and our mammoth mountains of trash?