The Beginning

I have started a new hobby and decided that I needed to keep track of what I am doing. I thought about just writing it down in a lab notebook, but notebooks get lost and I spend a great deal of time in front of my computer. I can also tie this in with a blogging assignment for one of my classes this semester.

The other day I was thinking about solar panels and the process of making solar panels. I had been reading about the regular silicon solar cells and the newer dye-sensitized solar cells. I was thinking it would be fun to try and build a solar cell or at least do some research about solar cell design. In my research I was reading about how they worked and what they contained. I began to think about the Silicon they contain and where I might be able to find a cheap or free source. I begin to wonder if you could, some how, extract the silicon out of old computer parts. Recycle the old computers for the silicon and create solar panels. It seemed easy enough. Right?

I started to read about the materials contained in the circuit boards, found in many and most electronics. I knew that some amount of silicon could be found on these boards in the form of silicon chips. As I read more about these boards I can to understand that there were many precious metals, such as gold, silver, and copper, contained in the circuitry and connectors. So, my focus shifted away from building solar cells towards recycling.

This is what led me to my current hobby. I though, instead of trying to recycle the boards for the silicon, I could recycle the boards for their metals. I had a half dozen computer sitting in my basement that were too old to do anything useful and thought this would be a fun way to get something out of them.

I came to find out that many people, both individuals and commercial companies, do this on a large scale. I was able found some general information on a few good forums and decided to try my hand at these processes. So far, I have had mixed results. I know the contents of some of the liquids I have and what they are, but I am unsure if what I am getting out of these liquids is actually what I want. I am hoping that someone will see this and will be able to guide in the right direction. I plan on positing some pictures and more posts on what I have done so far.