A Large-Area Graphene-Based Composite Paper for Efficient Gold Extraction From E-Waste and Its Reuse

The increasing accumulation of e-waste containing precious metals calls for the development of efficient recycling strategies for gold recovery from e-waste. In this study, we present scalable fabrication (up to 3600 cm²) of rGO/cellulose composite papers with a high rGO areal density of 7.5 g/m² and their use as efficient and large-area adsorbents for gold extraction. The resulting rGO@cellulose composite exhibits excellent gold extraction capacity, achieving 20 and 36.3 g/m² at 25°C and 60°C, respectively, which translates to high gravimetric capacities of 2662 mg/g and 4833 mg/g. When used for gold extraction from e-waste containing 13 types of metals, the rGO@cellulose maintains a precise selectivity for gold and achieves high extraction efficiency of 99.6%, providing a promising avenue for the sustainable recovery of gold from e-waste. Furthermore, the gold recycled by the rGO@cellulose can be reused for photothermal steam generation and catalytic degradation of environmental contaminants, demonstrating its potential for diverse environmental applications beyond gold extraction. This work provides a sustainable approach to e-waste recycling, offering a pathway to address environmental challenges while promoting the circular use of resources.