Viral video of Chinese man extracting gold from SIM cards triggers sales boom
Scrap metal refiner who has been dubbed the ‘alchemist’ says he is simply showing off his skills, warns amateurs not to attempt process
A man in southeastern China who extracted 191 grams of gold from discarded SIM cards has sparked a sales frenzy.
However, the man has warned of the serious safety risks involved in the process.
Known online as “Qiao”, the man hails from Huizhou, Guangdong province, and specialises in refining precious scrap metal.
On January 20, he posted a video showcasing his gold refining process, which gained more than five million views.
In the clip, Qiao pours used SIM cards into barrels filled with chemicals, extracting gold mud through a series of reactions, including corrosion, displacement and heating.
After filtering and heating, he ends up with 191g of gold, worth nearly 200,000 yuan (US$29,000).
Qiao told the Xiaoxiang Morning Post that he used nearly two tonnes of scrap to refine the gold, which did not solely come from SIM cards but from a mix of chip waste in the telecommunications electronics industry.