Chinese Man's Viral Video of Gold Extraction from SIM Cards Ends in Disappointment

On February 1st, a video by a Chinese man demonstrating gold extraction from old SIM cards went viral online, causing a massive stir and rapidly driving up the prices of used SIM cards and extraction equipment on second-hand platforms. The man, named Qiao, from Huizhou city in Guangdong province, southern China, is a specialist in recycling and metal extraction from electronic industrial waste. His video, which garnered over 5 million views, showed a complex process of extracting gold from SIM cards. In the video, he placed used SIM cards in chemical tanks, subjecting them to corrosion, chemical replacement, and heat treatment processes. The result was a gold lump weighing 191 grams, valued at nearly 200,000 yuan (approximately 910,000 baht). However, Qiao clarified that the gold wasn't solely from SIM cards, but from a mixture of electronic chip fragments from telecommunication industries, using almost 2 tons of material. He explained that SIM cards and electronic chips are often gold-plated in critical components for stability, but a standard SIM card contains less than 0.001 grams of gold. After the video's release, many Chinese social media users dubbed Qiao a "mineral transmutation expert", with some expressing regret about previously discarding computer chips. Qiao emphasized that his video was not intended to encourage imitation, but to share skills as a legally licensed professional. He warned that ordinary people should not attempt this process due to potential life-threatening dangers and legal violations. Industry experts and lawyers strongly caution against such extraction methods, highlighting the risks of toxic gas release, severe chemical reactions, and potential legal consequences. In China, precious metal recycling is strictly controlled, with unauthorized gold extraction potentially resulting in fines up to 500,000 yuan (about 2.3 million baht) and imprisonment for environmental pollution.