What Precious Metals are in my Mobile Phone? Gold , silver, copper and (2024)

FAQs

What are the metals found in your cellphone? ›

Gallium provides light emitting diode (LED) backlighting. Bauxite is the pri- mary source of this commodity. Sphalerite is the source of indium (used in the screen's conductive coating) and germanium (used in displays and LEDs). The content of copper in a mobile device far exceeds the amount of any other metal.

Smartphones are pocket-sized vaults of precious metals and rare earths. A typical iPhone is estimated to house around 0.034g of gold, 0.34g of silver, 0.015g of palladium and less than one-thousandth of a gram of platinum.

Gold is primarily found in cell phones in small quantities within electronic components such as circuit boards and connectors.

There is actual gold in your phone, used because of its excellent conductivity and resistance to corrosion. However, the amount of gold contained in a phone is smaller than one might expect. On average, a smartphone might have around 0.034 grams of gold.

Germanium

Germanium is used to make the semiconductors in cell phones. This silvery white, brittle element is commonly used in a host of electrical devices. The rare mineral is found in rock deposits of germanite and argyrodite, as well as in zinc ore.

The crystals in your phone or computer are the same as the ones in a quartz watch. They provide the clock speed for the processor. The MEMS are Micro Electro Mechanical Systems. That is microscopic moving parts etched out of silicon.

Praseodymium (Pr) : It is valued for its magnetic, electric, chemical and optical properties. like most rare earth element, praseodymium mostly forms trivalent Pr(III) ions. In combination with neodymium, another earth element, it used to create high power magnets notable for their strength and durability.

The most expensive parts of a smartphone are its touch screen, processor and camera.

According to the International Platinum Group Metals Association, in the electronics sector, most palladium is used for multi-layer ceramic (chip) capacitors (MLCC). MLCCs store energy in electronic devices such as broadcasting equipment, mobile telephones, computers, electronic lighting and high voltage circuits.

The amount of gold in SIM cards is very small, usually measured in milligrams or even micrograms. For example, a typical SIM card may contain around 8 milligrams of gold, which is equivalent to 0.00028 ounces. This means that you would need around 3,571 SIM cards to get one ounce of gold.

How many cell phones does it take to get an ounce of gold? ›

Did you know, for example, that it only takes around 41 mobile phones to recover 1g of gold? The price of gold is currently around US$1,700 (£1,365) per ounce, which is roughly US$60 per gram. That means there's about US$1.50 of gold in every junked device.

Smartphone Recycling will pay a seller up to $400 for their old cell phone. If the device is damaged or in decent condition, Smartphone Recycling will buy it from you at a price between $50 and $300 depending on the model of the device.

There is about . 5 oz of copper in your mobile phone. That's more than all the other metals in your phone and more than 12% of your phone's total weight.

Copper. Copper is actually the most common mineral found in cellphones. Much like silicon and germanium, its ability to conduct electricity is essential.

Tantalum from coltan is used to manufacture tantalum capacitors which are used for mobile phones, personal computers, automotive electronics, and cameras. Coltan mining is widespread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Mobile phones and other electronic devices contain many recyclable materials such as metals, plastics, and glass. Some of the #valuablemetals found in mobile phones include #gold, #silver, #copper, and #palladium, which can be reused in the manufacturing of new electronic devices.

Many of these contain toxic heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium and beryllium, and hazardous chemicals, such as brominated flame retardants (BFR). Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia. Polluting PVC plastic is also frequently used to make the case and keypad and the batteries contain cadmium, nickel and lithium.

In addition to gold, silver and copper, mobile phone manufacturers also need lead, nickel, bismuth, tin, antimony or iridium. Around three percent of global silver and four percent of gold production is currently disappearing in mobile phones and computers.