Detailed explanation of precious metal recovery from mobile phones.

Detailed explanation of precious metal recovery from mobile phones.

### Background and Purpose
Mobile phones, computers, and other electronic devices contain various precious metals such as gold, silver, copper, and palladium. Particularly, the gold content in these wastes is significantly higher than that found in ore. This makes the recovery of precious metals from electronic waste economically attractive and a crucial aspect of recycling.

### Recovery Process
1. **Collection and Sorting**:
- First, used mobile phones and computers are collected and the devices to be recovered are sorted. The main parts targeted for recovery include circuit boards, connectors, and other components containing precious metals.

2. **Disassembly and Crushing**:
- The collected devices are disassembled by hand or machine, then crushed into small pieces, separating metals from non-metals.

3. **Chemical Processing**:
- The crushed metals are dissolved using chemical reagents like acids or bases to extract the precious metals. Gold, for instance, is dissolved using sodium cyanide or hydrochloric acid, separating it from other metals.

4. **Refining and Recovery**:
- The extracted precious metals are further refined to return them to a high-purity state. This allows the recycled precious metals to be used in the manufacturing of new electronic devices and products.

### Business Development in China
The rapid spread of mobile phones in China has led to an increase in the number of discarded phones. Japanese companies, among others, are expanding their precious metal recovery businesses in China, setting up waste processing and recycling plants where these metals are recovered from collected electronic waste.

### Economic and Environmental Significance
This process reduces the waste of resources and lowers the environmental impact of mining activities. The recycled precious metals are valuable in the production of new products. Japanese companies are leveraging their technological advantages in this field to expand their business further.

Thus, precious metal recovery from mobile phones is a vital initiative for balancing efficient resource use and environmental protection.