Scientists blend iPhone to show the rare elements it contains

[midian182]

Why it matters: There are over 1.4 billion smartphones produced every year, but have you ever wondered what goes into these tiny computers in our pockets? To show the various chemical elements that make up a handset, scientists threw an iPhone into a blender and performed some tests on the resulting mess.

The experiment was carried out by geologists Dr. Arjan Dijkstra and Dr. Colin Wilkins from the UK’s University of Plymouth. In addition to showing what’s inside your typical phone, it’s hoped that the project will encourage more companies to embrace recycling.

The old, battery-free iPhone was blended down before being mixed with a powerful oxidizer (sodium peroxide) at around 500 degrees Celsius (approx. 932 degrees Fahrenheit). The resulting solution was dissolved in acid, thereby allowing a detailed analysis of the chemical elements to be carried out.

The results showed the phone contained plenty of common substances: 3g of iron, 13g of silicon, and 7g of chromium. But it was also packed with some rarer elements, including 900 mg of tungsten, 70 mg of cobalt, 90 mg of silver, and 36 mg of gold.

"This means that concentration-wise, a phone has 100 times more gold - or 10 times more tungsten - than a mineral resource geologists would call 'high-grade'," wrote Alan Williams, the University of Plymouth’s media and communications officer.

The report states that creating just one phone would require the mining of “0-15 kg of ore, including 7 kg of high-grade gold ore, 1 kg of typical copper ore, 750 g of typical tungsten ore, and 200 g of typical nickel ore.”

“We rely increasingly on our mobile phones, but how many of us actually think what is behind the screen? When you look the answer is often tungsten and cobalt from conflict zones in Africa,” said Dijkstra.

An increasing number of phone companies are committing to using more recycled parts in their products, and it’s hoped the video will encourage people and firms to be more eco-friendly.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/79362-scientists-blend-iphone-show-rare-elements-contains.html

 

[Uncle Al]

Yeah, I see the phone but what happened to the poor blender? Shouldn't they include the statement "no blenders were harmed in the process of making this video" or something like that. Where is the ASCCP when you need them?

 

[Trillionsin]

Yeah, I see the phone but what happened to the poor blender? Shouldn't they include the statement "no blenders were harmed in the process of making this video" or something like that. Where is the ASCCP when you need them?

Have you seen the "Will it Blend" episodes on Youtube by Blendtec?

 

[VitalyT]

So the guy who blends phones is now a scientist? Wow!

 

[Jeff Re]

Yeah, I see the phone but what happened to the poor blender? Shouldn't they include the statement "no blenders were harmed in the process of making this video" or something like that. Where is the ASCCP when you need them?

The Society for Lower Genital Tract Disorders??

 

[Vito05]

So the guy who blends phones is now a scientist? Wow!

Everyone knows wearing a white coat instantly makes you a scientist. That's a fact!

 

[Trillionsin]

So the guy who blends phones is now a scientist? Wow!

Yup, and also transformed to look like someone else entirely.

I don't know if people are blind, trolling, or just loosely joking around anymore. lmao

Edit: I do believe he is an engineer though!

 

[Bp968]

I know I'm insensitive here, but isn't pretty much anything that comes out of Africa coming from a "conflict zone"? And whats better, risking buying ore from a "conflict zone" or buying nothing from them at all (and thus providing no income to them at all)? I mean, its a serious question. Sometimes I wonder if that continent is even capable of long term stability. I know I lucked out not being born there. It's issues can be quite depressing to contemplate. I remember one nation was attacking medical aid workers during the Ebola crisis because someone decided that they were infecting people with it like they were some EU based mengele or something.

 

[VitalyT]

What? I know plenty of scientists who have never worn a white lab coat.. Seriously with that?

A doctor without lab coat is a quack, that's a fact!