According to the study, over 1.4 billion smartphones are made annually so it is important for users to understand where the materials come from.
Have you wondered what is exactly in your smartphone? No, not the apps, photos or videos ... but precisely what elements are used to physically make the device.
To answer that question, two geologists from the University of Plymouth in Britain, decided to blend an iPhone 4 – without the battery – to dust and analyse its composition. No reason is given as to why researchers Dr Arjan Dijkstra and Dr Colin Wilkins used that particular smartphone brand or model.
However, the interest in the subject was sparked by their observation of the increasing reliance on rare mineral resources for use in high-tech everyday items, which has put new demands on the global mining industry.
They also want to show the quantities of rare or so-called “conflict” elements each phone contains, and encourage greater recycling rates once the devices reach the end of their lives. After it was blended, the phone dust was then mixed with sodium peroxide at a temperature of almost 500°C, before the precise chemical contents were determined.
The experiment showed that the iPhone 4 contained 33g of iron, 13g of silicon and 7g of chromium and other substances in smaller quantities.
It also included critical elements such as 900mg of tungsten and 70mg of cobalt and molybdenum, as well as 160mg of neodymium and 30mg of praseodymium. The phone also contained 90mg of silver and 36mg of gold.
“We rely increasingly on our mobile phones but how many of us actually think what is behind the screen? When you look the answer is often tungsten and cobalt from conflict zones in Africa,” said Dijkstra on the University of Plymouth website.
He added: “There are also rare elements such as neodymium, praseodymium, gadolinium and dysprosium, not to mention quantities of gold, silver and other high value elements. All of these need to be mined by extracting high value ores, which is putting a significant strain on the planet.”
According to the study, over 1.4 billion smartphones are made annually hence it is important for users to understand where the materials are acquired from and the best method to dispose them when they’re done with the smartphones.
“Partly on the back of this, several of the major mobile phone companies have committed to upping their recycling rates,” said Wilkins, adding “It is a positive sign that the throwaway society we have lived in for decades is changing, and we hope this project will encourage more people to ask questions about their own behaviours.”
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