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What if your old bottle of cooking oil could help save the planet and your smartphone? It is the big idea behind a revolutionary discovery by researchers in Finland.
Scientists from the University of Helsinki and the University of Jyväskylä have discovered that you can recover money from electronic waste using common kitchen ingredients such as vegetable oil and hydrogen peroxide. This sustainable and evolving method published in the Chemical Engineering Journal could change the way we house the precious metals of our heaps of growing electronic waste.
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Old smartphones are transformed into tiny data centers
Scientists have discovered a new electronic silver extraction method using cooking oil. (Bloomberg via Getty Images)
How the cooking oil recovers the money from electronic waste
Here’s how it works. The fatty acids found in oils such as sunflower or olive oil are mixed with hydrogen peroxide. When it is slightly heated, this combo securely dissolves money from the old printed circuits cards, wires or keyboard connectors. Then, using ethyl acetate, a much less toxic alternative to industrial solvents, researchers remove money in a solid form. Unlike traditional methods based on hard acids or cyanide -based solutions, this technique avoids toxic runoff and air pollution. Think about it as the vinaigrette meets the scientific laboratory, without environmental disorder.
Why recycling electronic waste money is necessary urgently
Silver feeds the devices you use every day, such as phones, solar panels, electric vehicles and even medical technology. But less than 20% are recycled. While demand increases and natural resources decrease, finding your own ways to recover money is not only intelligent, it is necessary. Silver prices have increased by six years in the past 25 years. At the same time, the supply has been late. This makes electronic waste a gold mine, literally, for all those who can unlock their hidden metals without poisoning the environment.
New Tech recovers 92% of EV battery metals
Fat acids found in cooking oil can stabilize silver ions for easier extraction. (Smith Collection / Gado / Getty Images)
How scientists extract money using fatty acids and light
To understand exactly how it all works, researchers have used advanced IT models to study how fatty acids interact with silver ions. The process stabilizes not only money, but also allows easy recovery using light and simple solvents. Better still, the ingredients can be reused and there is no chemical waste or massive costs. And it’s very selective. The method targets money while leaving other metals behind, a major step in urban exploitation. During tests, even keyboard connectors with silver coating were treated cleanly pure elementary silver powder using this system.
Indian workers spend a bunch of used mobile phones in an electronic waste workshop on December 5, 2023 in New Delhi, India. (Nazir / Getty Arar images)
What it means for you
This research brings us closer to safe recycling kits, at home or small scale that could recover the money from old gadgets. Recyclers and manufacturers could adopt this method to reduce chemical waste and operating costs, while protecting workers and the environment. This method supports a future where nothing is wasted. It maintains precious materials using, reducing the need for extraction and pollution. Money is vital to make many technological items that we use every day. Reusing it in a responsible manner means a cleaner energy at a lower cost and less dependence on mined resources.
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Kurt’s main dishes
We have long known that waste is a problem. Now it could also be the solution. By transforming the daily ingredients into powerful recycling tools, scientists show us what is possible when chemistry and sustainability are encountered. The process is always refined, but the promise is clear: a greener future where recovery of precious metals does not cost the earth or our health.
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If you could extract money from your old gadgets with tools in your kitchen, would you do it? Or should it be left to the pros? Let us know by writing to Cyberguy.com/contact
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