Viral video: A shocking case of gold being extracted from a discarded SIM card has been revealed. This is no small feat, because a total of 191 grams of gold was extracted from the useless SIM card, which is valued in the Indian market at around Rs 22 lakh. This video of withdrawing gold from a SIM card is becoming increasingly viral on social media.
This incident emerged from southeastern China. The young man himself uploaded the video of this entire process on social media. This video was shared on social media from an account called Qiao.
Qiao, who hails from Huizhou City in Guangdong Province, works by striking, burning and recycling discarded metal. On January 20, he uploaded a video on social media, showing the entire disinfection process. This video was watched and shared by millions of people, and quickly spread on social media.
Mainland media reported that a man in Guangdong recently succeeded in extracting 191.73 grams of gold from a pile of old mobile phone SIM cards through a complex process, worth about 224,000 yuan at the current gold price. The “Gold Refining” video went viral… pic.twitter.com/PeOVCDvdtx
– Paul Sanyo (@paul_sanyo) January 24, 2026
What is shown in the video?
It can be clearly seen in the video that the waste SIM card kept in plastic is first placed in a container filled with chemicals. After passing through several stages, it turns into a turbid liquid. After that, it is heated, and a shiny yellow gold is formed that resembles a coin. When it is weighed, it appears in the same video that the weight of the gold is 191.72 grams.
Qiao told the media that he collected about two tons of electronic waste. Aside from SIM cards, they are also included in other pieces of electronic equipment. He already knew that there was a thin layer of gold on the main part of the SIM card. The SIM card is said to contain about 0.001 gram (milligram level) of gold. There are also very small amounts of gold in ATM cards and other electronic chips.
Increased demand for SIM cards in China – media reports
After this video went viral, Qiao became a social media star in China. Some users call it the Alchemist. According to Chinese media reports, the sale of SIM cards has increased significantly in the market since the video appeared.
Qiao clearly said that he did not mention the method of extracting gold. He just put his work out there for everyone. He also said that this business is very risky and can lead to legal problems. He claims to dip the SIM card into a liquid mixture called Aqua Regia, a harmful mixture of concentrated acids.
