The Royal Mint has opened a new factory to extract gold from printed circuit boards (PCBs) found in everyday e-waste items, such as TVs, laptops and mobile phones.
The 3,700 square metre factory, located in south Wales, uses a “world-first” patented chemistry from Canadian clean tech company Excir to extract the gold.
The Royal Mint said recovering high-purity gold will reduce the dependence on traditional mining activity and encourage more sustainable industry practices.
Excir’s chemistry works at room temperature, which the Royal Mint said means it is a more energy-efficient and cost-effective method of gold recovery.
The factory has scaled the technology from a laboratory to an industrial level for the first time and has the capacity to process up to 4,000 tonnes of PCBs from e-waste every year, the Royal Mint said.
Recovered gold is already being used in the luxury jewellery collection, 886 by The Royal Mint.
The factory underpins our commitment to using sustainable precious metals and providing a new source of high quality, recovered gold.
Commenting on the factory, Anne Jessopp, Chief Executive at The Royal Mint, said: “The Royal Mint is transforming for the future, and the opening of our Precious Metals Recovery factory marks a pivotal step in our journey.
“We are not only preserving finite precious metals for future generations, but we are also preserving the expert craftmanship The Royal Mint is famous for by creating new jobs and reskilling opportunities for our employees.
“We have ambitious plans, and I am proud that we are safeguarding The Royal Mint for another 1,100 years.”
The Royal Mint has also engaged with major industry bodies to help produce the first standard by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) for the definition of recycled gold.
Sean Millard, Chief Growth Officer at The Royal Mint, commented: “The factory underpins our commitment to using sustainable precious metals and providing a new source of high quality, recovered gold.
“It allows us to reduce our reliance on mined materials and is another example of how we’re working to decarbonise our operations.
“Our commitment to growth, innovation and circular economy principles shapes an exciting and more sustainable future for The Royal Mint, our people and our communities.”
