Whey-Based Sponge Extracts 22-Carat Gold from Old Computer Boards
Researchers at ETH Zurich developed a whey-protein sponge that uses amyloid fibrils to selectively capture gold ions from dissolved discarded computer motherboards. After exposure, heating releases solid gold, yielding about 450 milligrams of 22-carat gold from 20 boards—without high-temperature furnaces or toxic solvents—thanks to whey, a dairy byproduct, making the process potentially scalable and cost-effective for recovering gold from electronic waste.
