A Chinese couple attempted to make gold out of used mobile phones but were arrested by police for their illegal method.

一对中国夫妇试图用手机制造黄金，但因非法手段被警方逮捕。

The offenders rented a recycling shop in Shanghai back in April, where they hoped to refine gold using a crude and unsanitary process.

今年4月，这些罪犯在上海租了一家回收厂，希望用原油和不卫生的过程提炼黄金。

The couple began by digging a hole, then dumping the hazardous chemicals in it. Chinese authorities found buckets filled with toxic chemicals inside the workshop. More traces of the chemicals were also found in a nearby creek.

这对夫妇开始挖一个洞，然后把有害的化学物质倾倒在里面。中国当局在车间里发现了装满有毒化学物质的桶。在附近的一条小溪里也发现了更多的化学物质。

Authorities have since arrested the couple for illegally dumping the chemicals and polluting the environment in the process. It’s reported that the couple was making about 20,000 yuan ($3,000) from their illegal operation, according to Shanghaiist.

当局已经逮捕了这对夫妇非法倾倒化学品和污染环境的过程。据《上海人》报道，据报道，这对夫妇从非法经营中赚了2万元(约合3000美元)。

Experts say that about a gold ring can be made from about 100 cellphones.

专家说，大约有100部手机可以制造出一个金戒指。

To make matters worse, the couple didn’t use the proper equipment and even failed to procure the necessary license from authorities before carrying out their operation.

更糟糕的是，这对夫妇没有使用适当的设备，甚至在执行他们的行动之前，都没有获得当局的必要执照。

While it’s possible to extract tons of gold from used mobile phones, the process usually involves the use of toxic, environmentally hazardous chemicals to dissolve metallic parts of the devices.

虽然可以从使用的手机中提取出大量的黄金，但这个过程通常涉及到使用有毒、有害环境的化学物质来溶解设备的金属部分。

Meanwhile, scientists have found a better and more efficient way to extract gold from mobile phones without the use of chemicals such as mercury or cyanide.

与此同时，科学家们发现了一种更好更有效的方法来从手机中提取黄金，而不用使用诸如水银或氰化物之类的化学物质。

According to MailOnline, the new gold extraction method only involves the use of mild acid and oily liquid.

根据《每日邮报》的报道，新的黄金提取方法只涉及使用温和的酸和油性液体。

The mild acid is then used to dissolve the components of the mobile phone, while the oily liquid contains a certain chemical compound that is capable of extracting the gold.

这种温和的酸被用来溶解手机的部件，而油性液体含有一种能够提取黄金的化学物质。

University of Edinburgh researchers revealed that the new method isn’t just more environmentally-friendly, it also extracts more gold compared to the previous refining process.

爱丁堡大学(University of Edinburgh)的研究人员发现，这种新方法不仅环保得多，而且与之前的精炼过程相比，它还能提取更多的黄金。