Separation and purification of platinum group metals from aqueous solution: Recent developments and industrial applications

In the past decades, the demand for platinum group metals (PGMs) has increased rapidly in various applications such as electronics, chemical engineering, biomedical devices, and automotive catalytic converters. Recovery of PGMs from secondary resources is necessary for addressing the supply issues. The migration of PGMs from solid to liquid streams is irreplaceable for achieving high-purity products. Hence, it is a meaningful issue to reduce resource depletion and avoid environmental pollution during separation processes. This paper systematically reviews various improvements and new technologies for the separation and purification of PGMs, including solvent extraction, membranes separation, supercritical fluids, solid-phase extraction, photoreduction, and electrochemical methods. The separation mechanism and optimized process parameters are summarized. Particularly, the advantages, challenges, and perspective are highlighted in terms of commercial applications. This study aims to present the current research for scholars, and to identify a promising PGMs separation method that is safe and effective. Finally, several recommendations have been proposed for the further promotion of separation technologies.

Automated summary

The study reviewed various improvements and new technologies for the separation and purification of PGMs, emphasizing the importance of reducing resource depletion and environmental pollution. The separation mechanism and optimized process parameters are summarized, along with highlighting the advantages, challenges, and perspectives in commercial applications. The paper aims to present current research for scholars, and identify a safe and effective method for PGMs separation.