How ALS2 technology recovers gold from beryllium-oxide substrates
The growing mountain of discarded electronics contains an often-overlooked treasure: trace amounts of gold locked inside specialised ceramic components. Beryllium-oxide ceramic substrates, prized for their exceptional thermal conductivity, are used in high-power radiofrequency devices, aerospace electronics, and early-generation mainframe computers. When these devices reach the end of their service life, recovering the gold they carry has traditionally required aggressive acids and high-temperature smelting. Ikoi S.p.A.'s ALS2 project offers a different path, one that separates precious metals without the hazardous chemistry that has long defined metallurgical refining.
For Australian stakeholders, from councils rolling out collection points in suburban Melbourne to large-scale recyclers near Sydney and Perth, the appeal of a cleaner process is hard to ignore. National regulations under the Product Stewardship Act 2011 and the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS) push producers to take responsibility for what they place on the market, and cleaner downstream technologies help them meet those obligations without exporting the environmental burden.
Why beryllium-oxide substrates are a stubborn recycling problem
Beryllium oxide is a remarkable material. Its thermal conductivity rivals that of aluminium, yet it remains electrically insulating, which is why engineers specified it for high-frequency power transistors, travelling-wave tubes, and certain military-grade radar modules. The same properties that make it useful in demanding applications also make it difficult to recycle. The ceramic matrix is chemically stable, and the thin gold metallisation bonded to its surface, often used for die attach, wire bonding, and circuit traces, does not readily dissolve in conventional leaching solutions.
Traditional recyclers typically turn to aqua regia, a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids, or to cyanide-based leaching. Both routes work, but both generate toxic effluents. In Australia, where the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water oversees strict licensing for hazardous chemical use, the paperwork alone can discourage smaller operators from entering the precious-metals recovery market. Beryllium itself is also classified as a toxic inhalant hazard, raising worker safety concerns during any mechanical pre-processing stage.
These factors have left a large fraction of Australia's beryllium-oxide-bearing scrap either stockpiled or exported for overseas treatment, with all the carbon and compliance costs that entails. A domestic solution capable of handling BeO substrates cleanly would close a long-standing gap in the country's urban-mining ambitions.
The acidless separation approach
ALS2 is built around an entirely different chemistry. Rather than dissolving metals in liquid acid baths, the process uses a combination of mechanical liberation, controlled thermal treatment, and selective chemical leaching with non-acidic or weakly acidic reagents. The key innovation is a proprietary aqueous formulation developed by Ikoi S.p.A. that preferentially attacks gold and other precious metals while leaving the beryllium-oxide matrix largely intact.
The recovered ceramic can then be returned to the supply chain, either as a feedstock for new substrate production or as a safe, inert material suitable for construction aggregate. This circular approach reflects a growing interest in Australian research, including work at CSIRO and the University of Queensland, in keeping high-value ceramics in circulation rather than sending them to landfill.
Gold recovered through the acidless route is precipitated from the leachate using well-established electrowinning or chemical-reduction steps, producing a doré bead that is ready for further refining at conventional mint-grade facilities such as those operated by the Perth Mint, which has long been a global benchmark for precious-metals processing.
The end-to-end recovery pipeline
In a typical ALS2 deployment, the journey from spent electronic module to refined gold bar follows several stages. First, components containing beryllium-oxide substrates are identified and removed from larger assemblies, often by hand or with semi-automated optical sorting. Australian recyclers in Brisbane and Adelaide have invested in X-ray fluorescence (XRF) sorters capable of flagging BeO content, and these machines slot neatly into the front end of the ALS2 workflow.
The separated substrates are then crushed under carefully controlled conditions to liberate the gold metallisation without aerosolising beryllium dust. A sealed milling environment, paired with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration, addresses the occupational health concerns that have historically slowed BeO processing in any country.
Next comes the thermal and chemical treatment stage, where the ALS2 reagent formulation is applied. Because the chemistry operates at moderate temperatures and avoids fuming acids, the energy demand is noticeably lower than for traditional smelting, which is particularly relevant for Australian operators paying industrial electricity rates in the high 20 to mid-30 cents per kilowatt-hour range.
| Parameter | Traditional acid refining | ALS2 acidless separation |
|---|---|---|
| Primary reagent | Aqua regia or cyanide | Proprietary non-acidic aqueous formulation |
| Operating temperature | Ambient to ~90 °C (leaching); up to 1200 °C (smelting) | 60–80 °C across the process |
| Beryllium handling | Often lost as hazardous dust or slag | Recovered as intact, inert ceramic |
| Effluent treatment | Complex neutralisation, sludge | Simplified filtration, lower sludge volume |
| Worker safety risk | High (acid burns, cyanide, Be inhalation) | Low–moderate (standard PPE sufficient) |
| Gold recovery yield | 90–95% | 92–96% |
| Suitable for small plants | Limited | Yes, modular design |
The final stage is finishing, where the precipitated gold is dried, melted, and cast. Outputs from ALS2 plants are compatible with the LBMA Good Delivery standards that Australian refiners observe, so recovered metal can be sold into local and international markets without further upgrading.
Why Australia is a logical early market
Australia is unusual in combining world-class mining expertise, a sophisticated electronics-import economy, and a population increasingly aware of the value locked inside discarded devices. Households from Perth to Hobart replace smartphones every two to three years on average, and a steady stream of decommissioned networking equipment flows from the country's data-centre boom in Sydney and Melbourne.
National targets aim to recycle 80% of television and computer waste by 2026–27 under the NTCRS, and state-level programs in New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia encourage the development of domestic processing capacity. Cleaner technologies like ALS2 fit comfortably within these policy directions because they reduce the volume of hazardous waste that needs to be exported, lowering both transport emissions and the reputational risks associated with offshore dumping.
There is also a cultural dimension. The gold-mining heritage of the Australian outback, immortalised in towns like Kalgoorlie-Boulder, has shaped public attitudes toward precious metals. Many Australians instinctively value the idea that gold can be recovered responsibly at home, and ALS2's acidless chemistry aligns well with that sensibility.
Environmental and economic performance
Independent assessments of the ALS2 process suggest gold recovery rates consistently fall within the 92–96% range, on par with or slightly above the yields typical of well-run acid-based refineries. What sets ALS2 apart is the reduction in scope-three emissions tied to acid manufacture and effluent disposal. Producing one tonne of aqua regia generates several kilograms of nitrogen-oxide fumes, none of which are required in the ALS2 flow.
From a unit-economic perspective, the absence of expensive acid-handling infrastructure lowers the capital threshold for a new precious-metals recovery plant. ALS2 modules are designed for installations in the 50 to 500 kilogram-per-day range, which is well suited to regional Australian facilities that cannot justify the multi-million-dollar footprint of a traditional refinery. Small operators in regional centres like Ballarat, Mackay, or Whyalla can therefore consider adding gold recovery as a value-adding line alongside existing e-waste sorting.
The reduced effluent treatment load also translates into smaller downstream water-treatment plants, a meaningful saving in a country where water licensing can be a lengthy and costly process. For operators in South Australia, where the Environment Protection Authority applies some of the country's strictest discharge rules, this simplification is a real operational advantage.
Looking ahead with Horizon 2020 backing
ALS2 is supported through the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, which has provided both funding and a network of international research partners. The project consortium, led by Ikoi S.p.A., includes universities and technology institutes that have validated the acidless chemistry on a range of substrate types, from alumina-based boards to beryllium-oxide ceramics.
For Australian researchers and industry participants interested in following the project, the ALS2Project website hosts regular updates, technical reports, and links to open-access publications. Independent operators looking to set up an information portal for clients and community stakeholders can find practical guidance on selecting the right web hosting before launching a recycling-focused site of their own.
With pilot installations already demonstrating commercial viability in Europe, the conversation in Australia is shifting from "can we recover gold cleanly?" to "how quickly can we deploy capacity?" As state-based product-stewardship schemes mature and consumer awareness grows, acidless separation looks well placed to become a quiet but significant contributor to the country's circular-economy ambitions.
Reach out to the ALS2Project team through the official site to discuss pilot projects, technical specifications, and integration with existing recycling operations across Australia.