Developed by Professor Jason Love and Professor Carole Morrison in the School of Chemistry, and commercialized with the support of Edinburgh Innovations, the Gold and Copper Diamide Extraction (GCDE) process uses organic compounds to selectively extract metals from discarded electronic devices. Under an exclusive worldwide license, Lithium Universe will implement and sublicense the technology globally as part of its expansion strategy in precious metals recycling.
Electronic waste is one of the fastest-growing hazardous waste streams in the world, projected to reach approximately 93.5 million tons by 2030. However, only about 20% is recycled using environmentally friendly methods. This waste is valuable, as devices and printed circuit boards are rich in gold and copper. At current prices, the gold content of one ton of typical electronic waste is worth over US$46,000, with an additional US$2,000 for the copper. However, traditional processing of electronic waste relies on smelting in furnaces at temperatures exceeding 1200°C or aggressive leaching, both energy-intensive and polluting processes. In contrast, the GCDE process uses low-temperature hydrometallurgy and small, reusable organic ligands to extract the metals sequentially, under mild conditions, and avoiding cyanide, mercury, and organic solvent extraction.
Professor Love stated: “Electronic waste is, in practice, a high-grade ‘urban ore.’ Our aim was to design a chemical process that would allow us to recover these metals selectively and safely, without the energy and environmental cost of smelting. Diamide acts as a molecular magnet for gold. By following this with a selective step for copper, we can recover two of the most valuable metals from electronic waste with high purity and a lower environmental impact.”
Lithium Universe plans to integrate the GCDE into its Precious Metals Recycling Division, along with its silver recovery technologies for end-of-life solar panels.
Chief Executive Iggy Tan said: “This breakthrough from the University of Edinburgh reinforces the strategic expansion of our Precious Metals Recycling Division into high-value recovery technologies. Our team is very excited about the potential of this clean chemistry innovation. By integrating selective metal recovery with sustainable processing, Lithium Universe Limited strengthens its competitive position in circular economy solutions for gold, silver, and copper recovery.”
Dr. Susan Bodie, Director of Innovation Development and Licensing at Edinburgh Innovations, said: “This collaboration demonstrates how fundamental chemistry can deliver practical solutions to global sustainability challenges. By partnering with a specialist in scaling up to industrial scale, we can ensure this technology has a real impact on the circular economy of electronic materials.”
