Recyclables

Precious metals are crucial, yet often invisible in our everyday life. They are key materials that enable consumer electronics function, found in our mobile phones and computers. Keep our air clean in automotive catalysts or support key industrial processes in industrial catalysts. Moreover, they have the unique characteristic of being infinitely recyclable.

For over 20 years, Umicore Precious Metals Refining (UPMR) is a leading market reference in the assay-based refining of complex, precious metals bearing materials. Our innovative flowsheet, vast expertise in sampling and assaying, and our rigid ethical standards guarantee proper and environmentally sound valorisation of your materials.

Precious Metals Refining is well equipped to accurately determine the composition and efficiently refine a large variety of end of life products containing precious metals. Our tailor-made team will guide you through the process. We turn the waste of yesterday into materials for tomorrow.

Spent Automotive Catalysts

Catalytic converters play a key role in reducing harmful emissions to our environment and contain valuable Platinum Group Materials. We have the expertise and knowhow to carefully determine and extract the Platinum, Palladium and Rhodium content in end of life catalytic converters. Once recycled, these metals can be used to produce new catalytic converters for next generation vehicles, thus closing the materials loop.

Umicore refines both metallic and ceramic based catalysts, including silica carbide based diesel particulate filters. Below you may find an overview of the different types and ideal lot sizes.

Material	More information	Minimum required volume
Ceramic catalysts	Full converters, broken honeycomb & milled ceramics (<1 mm)	1500 kg ceramics equivalent, 1500 units
Metallic catalysts	Full converters & washcoat	1000 kg or 350 converters
Other	Heavy duty spent catalysts to be discussed