BACKGROUND
Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) are extremely valuable and versatile once recovered. These metals can be used for a wide variety of purposes, including hydrogen fuel cells, electronics, and medical devices such as pacemakers. Historically, used auto catalytic converters have been a valuable source of these PGMs. However, previously used pyro- or hydrometallurgical methods used for recovery of platinum from used automobile catalytic converters were only developed for ceramic substrate-based converters. This recycling process used for ceramic substrates is only partially suitable for metal substrates. Additionally, existing methods to recover PGMs from foil converters utilize either mechanical or chemical methods, producing a documented effectiveness of approximately 80%. An innovative method to improve the effectiveness of PGM recovery from used automotive catalytic converters could lead to significant savings and profitability.
SUMMARY OF TECHNOLOGY
Researchers at Oklahoma State University have developed a novel mechano-chemical method for efficient and improved recovery of PGMs from used metal-foil supported auto catalysts. This method produces nearly 100% recovery effectiveness in a market where 1% is considered a large margin advantage. With this technology, the catalyst wash coat can be “peeled” off from the metal-foil substrate. By harnessing the differences in the material properties, local stresses are created at the interface between the metal substrate and the ceramic wash coat leading to cracks. The wash coat with precious metals is the only constituent that requires subsequent processing (i.e. refining), leading to significant savings due to the considerably smaller quantity of material. This novel method produces nearly 100% recovery of PGMs from used automobile catalytic converters, leading to significant profitability and savings.
POTENTIAL AREAS OF APPLICATION
MAIN ADVANTAGES
STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT
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