5. Industrial examples

5.1 Pyrometallurgical recovery of PGMs from catalytic converters

Two main routes have been followed industrially. The first involves melting the entire unit in a plasma furnace. The platinum group metals are recovered, after separation of the metal from the slag, in the form of alloys with iron and copper. In the second, the PGMs are chemically concentrated and processed in a plasma furnace.

Texas Gulf Minerals and Metal Inc. built a plant equipped with a plasma furnace, which was taken over by Multimetco. The plasma equipment is based on Tetronics' recessive plasma technology. This technique involves melting to form layers of slag and metal, followed by a superheated zone in which the PGMs are melted. Multimetco's plant is located in Anniston (Alabama, USA)....