Can you burn circuit boards for gold?
James Olson
Updated on May 04, 2026
Piles of printed circuit boards and other electronic scrap are burned, leaving behind ash and the gold they contain. Quantities of dust and dirt found in old jewelry factories can be burned, leaving both ash and quantities of gold, silver and other precious metals.
How do you get gold out of circuit boards without chemicals?
For now, let's use the salt and vinegar method. To get started, add the sea salt into a beaker, pour the vinegar in, and stir until the salt dissolves. Vinegar and salt form a powerful, but non-corrosive stripping solution needed to etch out the tiny gold particles on the computer parts.How much gold is in a computer circuit board?
Magann: A PC circuit board, where the gold is, weighs about a pound. If you had a ton of those boards, you should have 5 troy ounces of gold.What parts of a circuit board are gold?
Motherboards and printed circuit boards - The motherboard in particular is often the best potential source of gold in computers. The edges of most components on the board will have gold contacts and connectors where the wires slide in. You will often find thin layers of gold on the motherboard's surface.How do you melt gold off circuit boards?
Strip out the boardsIn another container, mix two parts hydrochloric acid and one part weak hydrogen peroxide (a concentration of three per cent). Pour this mixture over the circuit boards so they are completely submerged. Wait for a week, giving the vessel a stir every day with a glass or plastic rod.
How to depopulate Circuit boards for Gold without chemicals
Is recovering gold from electronics worth it?
If you intend to conduct large-scale gold recovery from electronics, then yes, it is worth it. However, if it is a small-scale gold recovery, then you'll get meager profits. The process of physically disassembling gold from electronics and extracting gold isn't a walk in the park.Is scrapping gold from computers worth it?
The boards from 100 computers could yield as much as $3,000 worth of gold. And you might be able to get older computers for free, just by offering to haul them away. The circuit boards found inside a single newer laptop can contain gold worth between $15.00 and $25.00.What old electronics have the most gold?
Computer CPU's (processors) have the most precious metal value by weight, followed by Memory (RAM) & Circuit Board Fingers / Connectors / Pins, then Circuit Boards (Motherboards), then cables / wires, with hard drives & whole computers being last.Will vinegar dissolve gold?
Gold is unaffected by vinegar because it is a stable metal and will not react with oxygen. That means it will not change color, develop crystals, or disintegrate.Will bleach dissolve gold?
Bleach is the chemical compound sodium hypochlorite. When combined with hydrochloric acid, the mixture produces chlorine that dissolves gold from gold ore. This was the first commercial method used for gold extraction.How much gold is in a microwave?
The earliest microwave ovens had a piece of the magnetron that was gold plated and worth between 35 to 75 cents. The magnetron is usually made from steel with some steel made into it.Is there gold in VCR players?
VCRs, CD Players and DVD playersYet they too contain printed circuit boards that contain precious gold that is worth extracting.