This study introduces a green and efficient approach for gold recovery from e-waste leachate using an alginate-derived pyrocarbon sorbent. The sorbent exhibits high recovery capacity (2829.7 mg g⁻¹), efficiency (>99.5%), selectivity (Kₐ = 3.1 × 10⁸ mL g⁻¹), and anti-interference capabilities. The mechanism involves hydroxylation generating electrons and phenolic hydroxyls for gold ion reduction, following a stepwise nucleation mechanism. Technoeconomic analysis demonstrates economic viability with a high input-output ratio (1370%). The method yields high-purity gold (23.96 karats) from real-world CPU leachates.
