Precious metals are concentrated in printed circuit boards. After dismantling, boards are crushed, chemically treated, ground and separated so metals such as copper can be recovered. Recovering gold, silver, platinum and palladium at high purity requires specialised refining; EERC signed an MoU with Italy's IREN Group in 2025 to build a plant for this in Egypt.
Where the metals are
Most of the value in electronic waste sits in printed circuit boards (PCBs) — the boards inside computers, servers, phones and telecom equipment. Alongside copper wiring, they contain small amounts of gold, silver, platinum and palladium in connectors and components.
How circuit boards are processed
At EERC, boards go through a multi-stage process after manual disassembly:
- Crushing – boards are broken into smaller fragments.
- First chemical treatment – materials are prepared for separation.
- Grinding and separation – metal and non-metal fractions are separated.
- Second chemical treatment – further processing of the separated fractions.
This recovers materials such as copper and keeps hazardous substances out of landfills and uncontrolled burning.
Refining precious metals
Turning board material into high-purity gold, silver, platinum and palladium needs specialised refining technology. In July 2025, EERC signed a memorandum of understanding with Italy’s IREN Group to establish a plant in Egypt that uses Italian wet-processing (hydrometallurgical) technology to recover copper, gold, silver, platinum and palladium from e-waste — the first plant of its kind planned in the Middle East and Africa, with a projected investment of €3–4 million.
Why it matters
- Circular economy – recovered metals return to manufacturing instead of new mining.
- Environment – controlled processing prevents hazardous substances from leaking into soil and water.
- Local value – recovering metals in Egypt keeps value and know-how in the country.
Companies and manufacturers with circuit board scrap can recycle it through EERC’s certified PCB process today.