Sustainable gold extraction from ore and electronic waste

Maximilian Mann, Thomas P. Nicholls, Harshal D. Patel, Lynn S. Lisboa, Jasmine M. M. Pople, Le Nhan Pham, Max J. H. Worthington, Matthew R. Smith, Yanting Yin, Gunther G. Andersson, Christopher T. Gibson, Louisa J. Esdaile, Claire E. Lenehan, Michelle L. Coote, Zhongfan Jia and Justin M. Chalker ()
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Maximilian Mann: Flinders University
Thomas P. Nicholls: Flinders University
Harshal D. Patel: Flinders University
Lynn S. Lisboa: Flinders University
Jasmine M. M. Pople: Flinders University
Le Nhan Pham: Flinders University
Max J. H. Worthington: Flinders University
Matthew R. Smith: Flinders University
Yanting Yin: Flinders University
Gunther G. Andersson: Flinders University
Christopher T. Gibson: Flinders University
Louisa J. Esdaile: Flinders University
Claire E. Lenehan: Flinders University
Michelle L. Coote: Flinders University
Zhongfan Jia: Flinders University
Justin M. Chalker: Flinders University

Nature Sustainability, 2025, vol. 8, issue 8, 947-956

Abstract: Abstract Gold plays an essential role in the global economy and has wide applications in various industrial technologies. Currently, the gold supply relies heavily on mining processes that employ toxic substances such as cyanide salts and mercury metal, leading to substantial environmental pollution. Gold extraction approaches that do not rely on cyanide and mercury are needed to improve the overall sustainability of gold production. Here we develop an approach for gold leaching and recovery from ore and electronic waste. This approach first uses trichloroisocyanuric acid, activated by a halide catalyst, to oxidatively dissolve gold metal from ore and electronic waste, and then applies a polysulfide polymer sorbent to selectively bind gold from the leachate. The gold can be recovered in high purity by pyrolysing or depolymerizing the sorbent. The efficacy of this approach in gold extraction was validated using ore, electronic waste and other gold-containing waste. Overall, this work provides a viable approach to achieve greener gold production from both primary and secondary resources, improving the sustainability of the gold supply.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41893-025-01586-w

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