Unlocking the Selective Extraction and Direct Reduction of Gold From E‐Waste Leachate Through Robust Bismuth‐Based Metal–Organic Frameworks

The rapid increase in electronic waste (e‐waste) and the growing demand for rare metals underline the urgent need for effective technologies to recover valuable elements such as gold from waste, a process known as urban mining. However, the development of sustainable and cost‐effective adsorbents with high capacity and selectivity remains challenging. Here, two novel bioinspired bismuth metal–organic frameworks using the edible polyphenolic ellagic and gallic acids as building blocks, namely, bismuth‐ellagate (Bi‐EA) and bismuth‐gallate (Bi‐GA), are synthesized to evaluate for gold extraction from various matrices, including river water, seawater, and leaching solutions from computer central processing units (CPUs). Both chemically stable bismuth‐based metal–organic frameworks (bioMOFs) exhibit an ultrahigh adsorption capacity (2989.9 mg/g for Bi‐EA and 2516.3 mg/g for Bi‐GA), with high Au 3+ removal efficiency (> 99%) within 10 min, high selectivity, and recyclability. The excellent gold recovery performance is attributed to the adsorption‐reduction mechanism resulting from the phenolic hydroxyl groups in these frameworks. This work provides a sustainable and cost‐effective method for gold recovery with superior efficiency and environmental compatibility compared to existing technologies, thus contributing to the sustainable management of gold resources.