Gold recovery from memory chip epoxy scrap with ALS2
Memory modules, processors and communications chips can be discarded while still carrying recoverable precious metals. In many epoxy-packaged devices, fine gold bond wires connect the die to gold-plated leads on a lead frame, with smaller amounts potentially present in contacts or solder. Because these metals are distributed through a hard resin package rather than concentrated in a removable component, ordinary sorting can miss a valuable urban-mining resource.
ALS2Project is the dedicated home of Ikoi S.p.A.’s acidless separation technology for recovering precious metals from electronic waste and waste electrical and electronic equipment streams. It presents a safer, cleaner alternative to acid-based refining and targets compact precious-metals recovery plants. Backed by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, the project offers a basis for Australian partners assessing specialist recovery from semiconductor scrap.
Australian recyclers work with obsolete IT equipment, telecommunications hardware and industrial electronics generated by offices, data centres, manufacturers and households. The opportunity extends beyond conventional top-grade e-scrap: carefully separated memory package residues could contain enough fine gold to justify specialist treatment. ALS2 could help recover that fraction while reducing reliance on bulk acid chemistry and supporting compact facilities near major urban scrap markets.
Why memory package scrap needs a dedicated route
A semiconductor package is a miniature assembly rather than a uniform lump of metal. Moulding epoxy surrounds a die, fragile bond wires and a lead frame, while some packages also contain ceramic, solder and other metals. Precious-metal content varies with device type, package construction, age and prior processing. Feed assessments must therefore describe the actual product mix instead of applying a generic grade to all electronic waste.
Feed preparation is likely to determine commercial performance. Controlled depackaging, size reduction and classification can expose gold-plated contacts without reducing everything to uncontrolled dust. Shredding may liberate valuable particles, but excessive fragmentation can place gold-bearing wires into fine fractions that are difficult to recover. The objective is sufficient liberation for separation, combined with dust capture and material retention suitable for a compact precious-metals plant.
Where ALS2 changes the recovery flow
Conventional gold-refining flowsheets may use oxidative or cyanide-bearing chemistry to dissolve selected metals. These methods can be highly controlled and remain suitable for refining high-grade concentrates, but they require reagent storage, corrosion protection, worker controls and reliable treatment of liquid residues. At a WEEE facility, that chemical infrastructure can dominate both plant layout and operating requirements.
For memory chip epoxy package scrap, ALS2 is intended to operate after controlled liberation rather than replace safe pre-processing. It aims to separate metal-bearing material from resin-rich fractions without using bulk acid dissolution. The resulting precious-metal concentrate can then enter an appropriate finishing or refining route. This division of responsibilities allows a compact Australian recovery plant to focus on separation without needing to manufacture finished gold on site.
| Consideration | Acid-based refining route | ALS2-enabled separation route |
|---|---|---|
| Core operation | Uses controlled chemical dissolution to transfer metals into solution | Separates liberated metal-bearing material without bulk acid dissolution |
| Chemical handling | Requires systems for reagents, tanks, corrosion control and liquid residues | Avoids bulk acid requirements at the separation stage |
| Typical output | High-purity metal, dore or refined bullion | A precious-metal concentrate requiring further processing |
| Plant implications | More supporting infrastructure for chemistry and effluent management | Potential for a smaller separation footprint beside existing WEEE equipment |
| Key limitation | Chemical consumption, emissions and residue quality require close control | Feed liberation, metal-bearing particle retention and concentrate quality remain critical |
| Required proof | Mass balance, operating controls and verified residue treatment | The same evidence, plus demonstration across representative feed batches |
Acidless does not mean impact-free. Cutting, screening, conveying, assay sampling and downstream metal refining all require energy and controls. ALS2’s environmental case depends on reducing chemical demand while avoiding hidden losses, unsafe dust exposure or poorly characterised residues. Local operating data must support those claims.
Fit with Australian scrap markets and regulation
Australian electronics recyclers can build supply through manufacturer take-back schemes, commercial IT asset disposition, municipal e-waste collections and specialist processors. Sydney and Melbourne contain substantial office, data-centre and telecommunications inventories capable of producing electronic scrap following verified data destruction. Brisbane provides another major repair and refurbishment network, while metropolitan and regional collection depots can serve as aggregation points for smaller component streams.
The Australian Recycling Label and national product collection arrangements can help route equipment toward reuse or verified recycling. Memory package scrap headed for metal recovery still requires secure destruction, traceability and a documented handover from the IT asset-disposal provider. Contracts should preserve the origin, storage history and physical condition of the feed so recyclers can separate genuine semiconductor residues from mixed plastics and lower-grade WEEE.
Australia’s geography also affects system design. Shipping low-grade mixed WEEE over long distances increases cost and handling losses, making a compact ALS2 installation near a high-volume recycler potentially attractive. Feedstock payments, treatment charges and concentrate revenue must be assessed against freight, maintenance and local labour. Before importing equipment or project feed, Australian Customs and Border Force requirements should be checked with a customs broker. Imported waste-like material is subject to Commonwealth, state and territory controls, including the Environment Protection and Waste Management framework. Exports of residues or concentrates could engage the Waste Import/Export Prohibition Act 2016, regardless of how the material is commercially described.
Evidence needed before commercial scale-up
Representative sampling is the first technical checkpoint. Gold-bearing wires are extremely fine, so an occasional hand-picked chip can produce a misleading indication of value. Feed lots should be characterised by device type, package history, particle size and quantitative laboratory assay. Samples need to represent the delivered stream rather than only its richest visible pieces. X-ray fluorescence can assist with sorting and metal screening, but it does not replace a suitable assay for setting recovery targets or purchase terms.
A pilot should track a complete mass balance rather than report only the visible gold product. Operators need to measure input grade, metal in the concentrate, metal in residues, throughput, energy use, maintenance downtime and final product quality. Environmental assessment should include collection, transport, pre-processing, dust controls and downstream refining. Any comparison with acid-based refining should use the actual local flowsheet rather than a generic laboratory benchmark.
Commercial viability depends on more than the prevailing gold price. Feed contracts should define assay methods, contamination limits, payment timing, rejection rules and chain of custody. Concentrate buyers must understand its composition and the proposed refining pathway. The operating plan also needs clear routes for non-metallic fractions, capacitors, batteries and hazardous contaminants that must be removed before memory package scrap enters the ALS2 process.
Start a controlled Australian ALS2 pilot
A useful demonstration begins with one defined feed stream from a Sydney or Melbourne IT asset-disposal operation. The trial can establish baseline handling costs, feed liberation requirements, ALS2 recovery performance, concentrate characteristics, residue outputs and maintenance needs. Once results are stable, a Brisbane feed or a broader mix of memory devices can test whether the process remains effective across different package designs and ages without relying on unrealistic laboratory conditions.
Partners should include the material generator, licensed recycler, Ikoi S.p.A. through ALS2Project, an accredited assayer, environmental consultant and customs specialist. A written pilot charter can define confidentiality, intellectual property, data ownership, regulatory responsibilities and acceptance criteria. Horizon 2020 support provides valuable research context, but it does not replace local validation or evidence of bankable plant economics.
Australian recyclers, technology partners and research organisations can now contact ALS2Project with a documented sample set, expected tonnage, assay history and feed profile. Subject to applicable customs and environmental approvals, that information can support a controlled ALS2 trial, specialist downstream refining arrangements and a recovery pathway tailored to Australian infrastructure.