It is estimated that 1.74 billion kg of silver and 197 million kg of gold have been mined around the world to date. Have you ever wondered where all these gold and silver are now? My first guess was that they are used to make piles and piles of shining, shimmering, splendid jewelry, coins and gold bars – just like in the treasure cave from Aladdin!
After researching, I found that a significant proportion of precious metals are used in the technology and electronics industry; these metals are used to make connectors, wires and parts of circuit boards. According to Dell, the laptop that I am using to type out this post contains about 0.78 grams of gold!
Hello friends! Welcome back! 😊 In this post, I will discuss the use of precious metals in technology.
Why are precious metals used in technologies? Gold is more malleable (more easily bent) than other metals like copper, thus can be easily shaped. It is also less likely to rust, making it highly preferred as compared to other metals. Silver is also widely used in the photovoltaic industry in solar panels.
So, it seems like precious metals are integral in the technology industry, but is this usage sustainable?
High demand for precious metals in the technology industry drives the mining industry, which results in huge environmental damage. Precious metals are mined by open-pit mining, a method that produces toxic waste which causes soil and water pollution. Mining is also the biggest polluter of mercury, which is highly detrimental to the environment, biodiversity and human health.
In addition, precious metals are natural resources that are finite. What will happen when all these natural resources that we rely so much on run out? It is estimated that more than 70% of mineable gold has already been mined. If nothing is done to slow down the mining industry, we may run out of gold within the next two decades.
There are only so much natural resources in this world. This widescale usage of precious metals for technology is rapidly depleting the Earth of its finite natural resources. This unsustainable practice of mining may result in a future devoid of such resources.
Can’t we just recycle these precious metals then? Indeed, electronics companies like Dell have started recycling initiatives to recover the precious metals from their products which are at the end of their lifespan. Jewelry companies, like Brilliant Earth and Bayou with Love create their pieces using recycled precious metals as they are conscious of the environmental impacts of gold mining. Here is Bayou with Love’s founder sharing her motivation for using recycled gold!
Recycling precious metals from e-waste, however, is still a work in progress. 85% of e-waste are thrown away into landfills; very little is recycled to extract the precious metals. Despite this, I believe that if we all start to recycle our e-waste, we can make a difference! In my next post, I will be discussing more on e-waste disposal and how we can all play our part!
Cheers
Alicia 😊
Hi Alicia!
Really interesting post about e-waste & metals used in technology! Your post really struck a chord with me because it’s very closely related to the topic I’m currently researching on for ENV1202 (deep sea mineral mining).
As you’ve mentioned in your post, natural resources are finite and terrestrial sources of mining are depleting rapidly. As such, mining companies are now looking into deep sea mining in the Pacific as it is said to contain large quantities of these precious metals and is currently, an untouched resource.
Considering that there are available alternatives to obtaining these metals (like the recycling you’ve pointed out) do you think deep sea mining is still a good idea? Personally, I’m all for recycling and companies mining existing terrestrial sources but sadly, many companies think otherwise.
Hi Tricia! Thank you for reading my blog! After seeing your comment, I read up more about deep-sea mining, and I agree with you that deep-sea mining is not a good idea. Although it could reduce the environmental impacts of terrestrial mining, it creates a whole set of other environmental problems too, such as destroying aquatic habitats and biodiversity. But not all hope is lost! While researching, I found that soon, there might be other alternatives to using precious metals in technology. Researchers are finding ways to turn away from using precious metals, like here. I believe that if more companies become more conscious of the environmental impacts of mining and do R&D to find more sustainable methods of production, we can reduce the amount of mining.
Hi Alicia,
Thought you might be interested to know that when we got married last year, my husband and I went to considerable effort to purchase our rings from jewelers who only use recycled metal and lab-grown stones.
FYI, this jewelry costs considerably more than the traditional kind, which kind of annoyed us, but then… I guess we decided it was worth it.
jc
Hi Dr Coleman! Thank you for reading my blog. I think it’s really sweet that both of you went out of your way to get more environmental friendly rings that you both can treasure for a long time. Slightly late, but wishing you and your husband a happy and blissful marriage!
Thanks Alicia !
Haha – here’s something I don’t recommend… move in together just before a pandemic and spend the 1st few months of your marriage literally trapped in an apartment together (see, he only moved here at the start of February and I’d never lived with him before).
That said, we didn’t kill each other, so I call it a win and figure if we survived that, we can probably survive the rest of the roller coaster that is life.
Also, don’t wear a skimpy dress when you’re from the tropics but you’re getting married outdoors in the Rockies. Uncontrollable shivering isn’t a good look.
I do, however, recommend inviting my brother to anyone’s wedding. He had a brain injury a few yrs ago that altered (largely removed) his inhibitions & impulse control. Right after the ceremony, he took off all his clothes (thank goodness, left his underwear on) and went for a dip in the glacial lake behind us. One of the funniest things I’ve ever seen (though my mum was pretty pissed off).