Recycling project wins Green Challenge
A RECYCLING project that can recover almost 100 per cent of the silver used on photographic film won the first-ever environmental competition, Ngee Ann-BP Green Challenge ‘95, held at the polytechnic on Monday.
Four third-year students from the Building Department designed the project, which allows silver to be scraped from film and re-used in jewellery and ornaments.
The current price of recovered silver is $260 per kg.
The project makes use of two processes. First, it goes through a computer-controlled machine which scrapes a gelatin-like layer that contains silver, from the photographic film.
The gelatin is dissolved and put through an electrolysis unit, which separates the liquid into its chemical parts by passing electricity through it. About 98 per cent of the silver is extracted.
Team leader Siti Suraya Abdul Kadir, 19, said that, after an eight-hour process, the electrolysis of about 20-25 litres of the solution can yield 14 kg of silver.
For their efforts, Siti, Liew Kah Shin, 22, Foong Wai Keong, 21 and Tan Peak Ling, 19, received a book voucher for $500.
Source : The Straits Times, February 15 1995
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