Chinese man extracts 191 grams of gold from SIM cards: Alchemy of...
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Chinese man extracts 191 grams of gold from SIM cards: Alchemy of...")
Sim cards contain very little gold for protection purposes. Photograph: (Pickpik)
Extracting gold from SIM cards can prove damaging to health. Yet, people are flocking to buy the cards and try it out for themselves after seeing a viral video of a Chinese man extracting 191 grams of gold from the items.
A man in China has gone viral for sharing videos of himself extracting gold from SIM cards. He has removed 191 grams of gold from discarded SIM cards till now. His actions have triggered a buying frenzy among others who think they can do the same. However, the man has warned people of safety risks in the process. The man is known as “Qiao” on social media and hails from Huizhou, Guangdong province. He specialises in refining precious scrap metal, and shared a video of a gold refining process he carried out. This video has garnered five million views. The video shows him putting SIM cards into barrels filled with chemicals. He then carries out several reactions, such as corrosion, displacement and heating to extract the gold. He goes on to filter and heat the gold, ending up with 191g of gold, worth nearly 200,000 yuan (US$29,000), SCMP reported.
SIM card alchemy
Qiao told Xiaoxiang Morning Post that his process did not involve just SIM cards. He used nearly two tonnes of scrap to refine the gold, which included a mix of chip waste from the telecommunications electronics industry. According to the report, a SIM card contains less than 0.001g of gold. A plating of the precious metal is used in some parts of the SIM to ensure stability and corrosion resistance, Qiao said. According to data, bank card chips and communication device contact components also carry gold and can be recycled. Social media users are in awe of Qiao and have dubbed him the “Alchemist”. “Qiao is professional. Alchemy has a high chemical threshold,” a user said.
Extracting gold from SIM cards is a safety hazard
Seeing how he extracted gold from SIM cards, people are rushing to get them on mainland second-hand platforms. Sellers are also using the opportunity to make big bucks, offering bundles of SIM cards, telling people that they can be used for alchemy. Another person is selling gold-refining tools and instructional videos for 485 yuan (US$70). Meanwhile, Qiao has warned people not to mirror his actions as he is simply showing his skills. Media outlet Xinwenfang reported that for personal gold extraction, the material is soaked in aqua regia, a highly corrosive, fuming liquid mixture of concentrated acid. Emulating the process wrongly can release toxic gases or trigger strong corrosive reactions, Qiao warned.
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