In a quest to address the global challenge of depleting natural gold mines and e-waste, scientists from the Indian Institute of Science and Education and Research, Pune (IISER Pune), Advanced Bio-Agro Tech Pvt. Ltd and CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory have engineered a novel material that promises to significantly improve how we recover gold from old electronics. They have designed a zirconium-based aerogel that is capable of capturing gold ions from solutions, even when present in ultra-trace amounts.

Electronic waste or e-waste pose a serious challenge in their disposal. The printed circuit boards (PCBs) present in discarded electronic devices like smartphones and computers contain toxic chemicals and metals that can get into the soil or water if thrown in landfills or burnt. Now, scientists have designed a novel technique to dispose them by simply powdering them using a cryomill. This, they claim, can completely recover the polymers and metals for recycling in an eco-friendly way, ensuring zero waste.