Recycling the Platinum Group Metals: A European Perspective

By C. Hagelüken, Rodenbacher Chaussee. 2012

177 citations recorded by the source corpus.

By Christian Hageluken Umicore AG & Co KG, Rodenbacher Chaussee 4, D-63457 Hanau Wolfgang, Germany Email: christian.hagelueken@eu.umicore.com The high technical recyclability of platinum group metals means that over 95% recovery can be achieved once pgm-containing scrap reaches a state-of-the-art refi ning facility. Technical challenges exist, but the main barriers to recycling pgms lie in ensuring the collection of scrap and in the capacity and technical capabilities of recycling chains around the world. Economic and legislative drivers are also signifi cant. The “seven conditions” for effective recycling and their impact within Europe are discussed in this article; industrial applications are found to lead the way in terms of recycling rates while automotive and particularly electronic areas are currently some way behind. New business models are recommended, to enable precious metal-containing waste to be seen as a valuable resource and ensure the sustainability and security of pgms supply for the future.

Subfields: Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/5941f36f070b7febb55c4363eb1285f82998ea9c