Noble metal recycling refers to the specialized process of recovering and refining precious group metals—including gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and rhodium—from scrap materials. These metals share common characteristics: high specific gravity, elevated melting points, chemical stability, resistance to acid and alkali corrosion (except silver and palladium), and significant monetary value. Global interest in these metals continues to grow. Professional recycling companies typically possess advanced smelting technologies, production equipment, and extensive experience, dedicated to achieving efficient purification of scrap materials to ensure high recovery rates and product purity. For instance, leading enterprises like Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo have obtained certifications from the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) and the London Platinum and Palladium Market (LPPM), establishing themselves as recognized precious group metal refiners. Efficient noble metal recycling is not only about resource regeneration but also a crucial component in building a sustainable society, with DONGSHENG Precious Metals Recycling Company serving as a key participant.
In industrial sectors, the value of noble metal recycling is highlighted by its critical applications. Spent automotive catalysts represent a significant source of platinum, palladium, and rhodium, particularly from three-way catalytic converters in end-of-life vehicles. Electronic waste (such as discarded mobile phones, computer motherboards, and circuit boards) contains gold, silver, and palladium. Additionally, industrial waste like chemical catalysts, petroleum refining catalysts, and gold/silver plating waste liquids are rich in platinum group metals. These recycled materials are vital to supply chains in regions like North America. Take Aurubis' newly built multi-metal recycling plant in Richmond, USA, as an example. With an investment of approximately $800 million, it aims to extract strategic metals like copper, nickel, tin, and precious group metals from complex recyclables such as printed circuit boards and copper cables. This supports the demands of U.S. energy infrastructure, data centers, artificial intelligence applications, and the defense industry. The plant can process up to 180,000 metric tons of complex recyclables annually, effectively strengthening Western supply chains.
Precious group metal recycling prices are influenced by multiple factors. Take palladium as an example: its price retreated from a 2022 peak of $2,981 per ounce and fluctuated between $900 and $1,100 in 2024. The key to boosting recycling profits lies in technology and raw materials. Advanced recovery processes like pyrometallurgical-hydrometallurgical combined techniques can achieve 95% recovery rates, though processing fees may account for 15%-20% of recycling costs. Therefore, selecting technically mature recyclers is crucial. Simultaneously, ensuring accurate detection of raw material content is essential to avoid price suppression. For instance, precious group metal content in automotive catalytic converters can vary by 3-5 grams depending on vehicle model. It is advisable to prioritize recyclers referencing authoritative platforms (such as the London Metal Exchange or New York Mercantile Exchange) for pricing and to clarify settlement methods (e.g., outright sale or physical return). Reputable recyclers employ third-party testing, using average values to ensure fair pricing.
The sources of specific products for noble metal recycling are diverse. Electronic waste includes discarded mobile phones, computer motherboards, graphics cards, memory modules, servers, etc., where connectors and plated layers contain gold, silver, palladium, and other metals. Industrial waste such as chemical catalysts, petroleum refining platinum catalysts, electronic industrial residues, and plating solutions are rich in platinum, palladium, rhodium, and sometimes iridium and ruthenium. Spent automotive catalysts represent one of the world's largest secondary sources of platinum, palladium, and rhodium. Additionally, jewelry scrap (such as old gold jewelry and processing offcuts) is nearly equivalent to direct metal and offers stable recycling value. Other specialized wastes include platinum electrodes from medical devices, iridium implant materials, iridium crucibles used in the glass industry, and ruthenium-based contacts from electronics manufacturing. Professional recycling companies like Tanaka Kikinzoku offer one-stop recycling services for both solid waste (e.g., spent targets, printed circuit boards, ICs, ceramic packages) and liquid waste (e.g., electroplating waste solutions), backed by proprietary precious group metal stripping and precision cleaning technologies.
Language
