You might not be aware, but old TV contains a certain amount of gold parts, such as the cathode tube or the circuit board. These gold parts are required to build units that keep the TV functioning.
Previously, plasma and LCD TVs that were made usually had some amount of gold in the form of gold plating rather than real gold. These parts amount to $ 1 or less in value. You might have to dig quite well inside your TV to get to the parts that have gold plating.
So, if you are wondering how much gold your old TV has, then we will walk you through the details.
Does Your TV Have Gold In It?
Dipping the material in gold or sealing them with it extends the value of the TV and also its lifeline. However, it won’t be reclaimable as the amount of gold scrapped out can equate to 70 cents or even 60 cents, which is quite a cheap value.
Only if you are associated with industrial operations or use scraping machines, then can you get tons of circuits and also gold from it. If you are working through a flat-screen TV, then the parts that might have gold are the monitor and circuit board. Otherwise, usually, the wiring or internal connections are built through copper wire or aluminum metal screws.
If you have CRT TVs, then it has more gold in comparison to LED and OLED TV. Also, Plasma TVs have more silver when compared to gold. You would mostly find these precious metals in the TV’s circuit board.
Why is gold used in TV?
Gold is considered to be a good conductor of electricity, and thus, it is used by electronic manufacturers, such as TV, microwave, computer, and many other such devices, to make the parts conduct electricity.
Another positive aspect of gold is that it does not corrode, and if pure gold is used, then it is more malleable in nature when compared to other materials. So, making gold is in high demand, as it can be converted or used to create any kind of electronic wires or conductor units.
Also, gold is chemically inactive, so it won’t react with any other metals, change in temperature, heat, or change in the environment. Thus, your TV’s longevity is maintained for a long time.
What is the alternative to gold?
You would find gold in a very small marginal amount of TVs. Other than this, copper is also used to manufacture TV wires and other devices as they are good conductors of electricity and also take a large amount of time to corrode. Thus, copper can help your device to keep it running for a long time.
How much Gold can you reclaim?
If you are running a large-scale industrial operation, then let’s take a look at how much gold you can reclaim:
If you want to reclaim 500 grams of gold, then you have to reassemble at least one ton of circuit board. This is a simple equation. Moreover, when compared to other metals that can be obtained from a TV, gold is easily reclaimable.
Is it a profitable business?
If you can scrap a lot of TV, then it is definitely a profitable business as you can claim enough gold. Also, you need to maintain a continuous supply of old TV. Otherwise, it won’t make a profit table. You need to undertake projects which must be of industrial scale, and also you must remember that to import defective TVs or electronic devices, where you can scrape off gold, you need to pay for the transportation as well.
But, if you want it on a small scale, say in your garage, then it won’t be any profitable business, but rather, you would lose your efforts in vain. We would suggest you can form a chain of industrial projects and get other people to collaborate in this business. Otherwise, just for 20 to 60 cents, scrapping gold from old TV is not a profitable and wise venture.
What happens after you scrap gold from Old TV?
After gold and other metals present in the TV and circuit board are scrapped, they are sent to manufacturers who recycle them and use them in new products. You can find numerous websites that require items that are recyclable.
Basically, gold is not a renewable resource, so it needs to be recycled. Gold is mined from earth, and industrial owners should remember that it has to be replaced from time to time, and they should have a reclamation process for whatever amount they can.
What are the other devices from which you can scrap gold?
You can scrap gold from a computer which would be around 0.2 g, from a laptop, you can scrap 0.006-gram gold, a cell phone would provide 0.034-gram gold, a tablet would give 0.03 grams and from a remote, you can get 0.0003 grams of gold.
