Full Article: Recovering Precious Metals From Spent Catalysts — Are You Getting the Best Return?

Precious metal-bearing catalysts are used widely for pollution abatement by many industries, including chemical, petrochemical, plastics, painting/coating, and pharmaceutical, among others.

Many organizations use catalytic reaction technology to prevent emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). Catalysts used in these reactors contain precious metals that include palladium, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, gold and silver — individually or in combination.
Depending upon equipment and/or process used, these precious metals are configured with carriers in various forms, such as pellets, beads, and monolithic structures (substrates). While in use, catalysts eventually lose their effectiveness, and their remaining precious metals must be recovered.