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    Edinburgh GCDE e‑waste process: hydrometallurgy takeaways for materials engineers

    May 30, 2026|

    Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

    Edinburgh GCDE e‑waste process: hydrometallurgy takeaways for materials engineers

    First reported on MINING.com

    30 Second Briefing

    Edinburgh’s Gold Copper Diamide Extraction (GCDE) process has been exclusively licensed to Lithium Universe, enabling low‑temperature hydrometallurgical recovery of gold and copper from e‑waste using small, reusable organic ligands instead of >1,200°C smelting or cyanide and mercury leaching. The diamide “molecular magnet” first targets gold, followed by a selective copper step, delivering high‑purity metals from printed circuit boards where gold and copper content can exceed US$48,000 per tonne at current prices. Lithium Universe will integrate GCDE into its Precious Metals Recycling Division and sub‑licence the technology globally.

    Technical Brief

    • GCDE was developed by Professors Jason Love and Carole Morrison at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Chemistry.
    • Commercialisation was supported by Edinburgh Innovations, indicating IP, scale‑up and licensing groundwork already in place.
    • Exclusive licence grants Lithium Universe deployment and sub‑licensing rights worldwide, centralising industrial rollout and standards.
    • E‑waste volumes are projected to reach ~93.5 Mt by 2030, yet only ~20% is responsibly recycled.
    • Typical e‑waste contains gold worth >US$46,000/t and copper worth ~US$2,000/t at current prices.
    • Conventional e‑waste routes use furnace smelting above 1,200°C or aggressive leaching, driving high energy and reagent demand.
    • Lithium Universe will integrate GCDE with its existing silver recovery flowsheets for end‑of‑life solar panels.

    Our Take

    The University of Edinburgh already features in our coverage for major engineering infrastructure investment, and the licensing of the GCDE technology signals that its new Engineering Forum building is likely to serve as a platform for scaling lab-to-pilot work in metals recycling rather than purely academic research.

    Within our 46 Materials stories, most copper and gold coverage is still tied to primary extraction; this move into urban mining via GCDE gives operators and refiners an additional route to secure precious and base metals feed without adding to greenfield permitting and social-licence risk.

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    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

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