A man in Guangdong used a large number of discarded SIM cards to extract a total of 191.73 grams of gold, worth over 120,000 RMB. The news quickly went viral on January 23. However, industry experts warn that such operations carry high risks and should not be imitated.
According to a video posted on January 22 by the official Weibo account “Guān xiàng shì pín”, the man submerged many SIM cards in different containers, stirred them, filtered the mixture, then melted and extracted it at high temperatures, eventually producing a gold coin weighing 191 grams.
The video stated that the total weight of the extracted gold was 191.73 grams, valued at over 120,000 RMB.
This video has attracted a lot of attention and discussion online, with many netizens expressing surprise that SIM cards indeed contain gold.
The official account of China’s Jilin Yingshuo Future Digital Technology Co., Ltd., “Dàn yán qíng xù guǎn”, analyzed on January 22 that if each SIM card contains approximately 0.006 to 0.01 milligrams of gold, it would require between 19.17 to 31.96 million SIM cards. The quantity is massive, and it is speculated that there may be more gold-containing electronic components mixed in, such as connectors and gold-plated contacts, with gold mainly concentrated in electronic products’ circuit boards, connectors, and contact points.
“Dàn yán qíng xù guǎn” also mentioned that such operations involve strong acids, incineration, and improper disposal, posing significant risks. Many small workshops handling electronic waste commonly burn circuit boards and dissolve metals with highly corrosive solutions like aqua regia, causing substantial pollution to the air and water sources.
Experts have cautioned netizens about the significant safety hazards and environmental pollution risks involved in the extraction process. In addition to trace amounts of gold, SIM cards also contain toxic substances like lead, cadmium, brominated flame retardants, and so on. They emphasize that individuals should not attempt to replicate such operations.
Netizen “cjbdi3” commented, “This should definitely not be promoted, as it severely pollutes the environment and constitutes illegal behavior.”