From which component of e-waste are precious metals recovered?

• A. Plastic housings
• B. Glass screens
• C. Battery terminals
• D. Electronic circuit boards

Answer: (D)

Precious metals are concentrated in electronic circuit boards because these boards use gold, silver, palladium, and other metals to ensure reliable electrical connections and durable components. The boards contain many tiny connectors, solder joints, and copper traces, all of which are enriched with these high-value metals. This makes circuit boards the primary source for recovering precious metals from e-waste, since the other components—plastic housings, glass screens, and battery terminals—carry far less of these metals or contain mostly other materials. In recycling, boards are processed to separate and refine the metals, reflecting why they’re the key target for precious-metal recovery.