A Large‐Area Graphene‐Based Composite Paper for Efficient Gold Extraction From E‐Waste and Its Reuse

ABSTRACT The increasing accumulation of e‐waste containing precious metals calls for the development of efficient recycling strategies for gold recovery from e‐waste. In this study, we present scalable fabrication (up to 3600 cm 2 ) of rGO/cellulose composite papers with a high rGO areal density of 7.5 g/m 2 and their use as efficient and large‐area adsorbents for gold extraction. The resulting rGO@cellulose composite exhibits excellent gold extraction capacity, achieving 20 and 36.3 g/m 2 at 25°C and 60°C, respectively, which translates to high gravimetric capacities of 2662 mg/g and 4833 mg/g. When used for gold extraction from e‐waste containing 13 types of metals, the rGO@cellulose maintains a precise selectivity for gold and achieves high extraction efficiency of 99.6%, providing a promising avenue for the sustainable recovery of gold from e‐waste. Furthermore, the gold recycled by the rGO@cellulose can be reused for photothermal steam generation and catalytic degradation of environmental contaminants, demonstrating its potential for diverse environmental applications beyond gold extraction. This work provides a sustainable approach to e‐waste recycling, offering a pathway to address environmental challenges while promoting the circular use of resources.