Selective recovery of catalyst layer from supporting matrix of ceramic-honeycomb-type automobile catalyst

Natural resources of platinum group metals (PGMs) are limited and their demand is increasing because of their extensive uses in industrial applications. The low rate of production of PGMs due to low concentration in the related natural ores and high cost of production have made the recovery of PGMs from previously discarded catalytic converters a viable proposition. The ceramic-honeycomb-type automobile catalytic converter contains appreciable amount of PGMs. These valuable substances, which are embedded in the catalyst layer and covered on the surface of the supporting matrix, were selectively recovered by attrition scrubbing. The attrition scrubbing was effective for the selective recovery of catalyst layer. The process was convinced as the comminution and separation process by physical impact and shearing action between particles in the scrubbing vessel. The catalyst layer was dislodged from the surface of the supporting matrix into fine particles by attrition scrubbing. The recovery of Al2O3 and total PGMs in the fraction less than 300 mu m increased with the residence time whereas their contents in the recovered materials slightly decreased. The interparticle scrubbing became favorable when the initial input size increased. However, the solid/liquid ratio in the mixing vessel was slightly affected by the low density of converter particles. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.