Oral Presentation Royal Australian Chemical Institute National Congress 2026

Sustainable gold extraction from ore and electronic waste (135450)

Justin M. Chalker 1
  1. College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, Australia

 

Gold plays an essential role in science, technology and society. It has served as a currency and medium for art for centuries, and it is widely used in modern catalysis, electronics, and aerospace. Unfortunately, gold mining is not sustainable, with land clearing and use of toxic substances such as mercury and cyanide harming the environment. More sustainable methods for gold extraction and recovery are needed. In this presentation, sustainable methods for gold extraction, recovery and refining will be presented.[1] The methods are integrated across the whole gold recovery process, including sourcing, pre-processing, leaching, recovery, refining and recycling. Novel and safer leaching chemistry is reported, along with a novel and recyclable polysulfide material that is exquisitely selective for binding gold in highly complex mixtures. Pilot studies on ore, electronic waste, and scientific waste will be presented. More generally, this project reflects our efforts to add value to the sulfur supply chain by providing useful, recyclable, and sustainable materials derived from surplus elemental sulfur.[2,3]

 

  1. M. Mann, T.P. Nicholls, H.D. Patel, L.S. Lisboa, J.M.M. Pople, L.N. Pham, M.J.H. Worthington, M.R. Smith, Y. Yin, G.G. Andersson, C.T. Gibson, L.J. Esdaile, C.E. Lenehan, M.L. Coote, Z. Jia, and J.M. Chalker. Nature Sustainability, 2025, 8, 947-956
  2. H.D. Patel, A.D. Tikoalu, J.N. Smith, Z. Pei, R. Shapter, S.J. Tonkin, P. Yan., W.M. Bloch, M.R. Johnston, J. Harmer, C.T. Gibson, M.V. Perkins, M.L. Coote, Z. Jia, J.M. Chalker, Nature Chemistry, 2026, accepted. Preprint DOI: 10.26434/chemrxiv-2025-fnhdd.
  3. S.J. Tonkin, H.D. Patel, J.M.M. Pople, L.N. Pham, D.J. Lewis, B.A. Aljubran, J.R. Gascooke, C.T. Gibson, T. Hewagama, D.E. Jennings, F.T. Ferguson, M.R. Johnston, W.M. Bloch, A.C. Bissember, Z. Jia, M.L. Coote and J.M. Chalker. Nature Communications, 2026, accepted. Preprint DOI: 10.26434/chemrxiv-2025-wd224-v2