"Utilizing Food-Waste Amyloid Aerogels for Efficient E-Waste Gold Recovery"
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Hackaday
Researchers have proposed using protein amyloid aerogels, derived from food waste protein like whey, to optimize the recovery of precious metals such as gold from electronic waste. These aerogels, with their high surface area for adsorption, demonstrated an impressive 93.3% efficiency in gold recovery while leaving other metals mostly untouched in the solution. The chelation properties of the protein amyloids make them effective at bonding to metal ions, offering a potential cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach to e-waste recycling.