How much precious metal can you find in a converter? (2024)

FAQs

How much precious metal can you find in a converter? ›

Typically, the amount of rhodium in a catalytic converter is anywhere between 1-2 grams, while the amount of platinum ranges anywhere from 3 to 7 grams and the amount of palladium ranges anywhere from 2 to 7 grams.

The recoverable amounts of Pt, Pd, and Rh in each can range from 1-2 grams for a small car to 12-15 grams for a big truck in the US. The value of the PGM composition of a single catalytic converter can vary from less than $100 to more than $1000.

Taking those prices into account allows us to see that the average catalytic converter can contain anywhere from $90 to $210 worth of platinum, from $120 to $420 worth of palladium, and from $440 to $880 worth of rhodium.

Although the quantities vary by model, on average, only one standard catalytic converter contains about 3-7 grams of platinum, 2-7 grams of palladium, 1-2 grams rhodium.

Catalytic converters contain Platinum, Rhodium and Palladium. However, there is no gold in catalytic converters.

Rhodium. As the world's rarest precious metal, rhodium is also the most expensive. This material is a by-product of mining platinum, copper and nickel refining and has been discovered since the 1930s.

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How much platinum can be recovered from a catalytic converter? There are between 3-7 grams of platinum group metals in a standard catalytic converter, but the amount varies based on manufacturer and model.

Catalytic converters have economic value as they contain precious metals. This is the main reason why they are sold as the most expensive scrap. Because it contains rhodium, palladium and platinum, which are among the most precious metals.

How do you get the platinum out of a catalytic converter? ›

The pyrometallurgical process for the recovery of platinum from the spent catalyst involves three methods: smelting, vaporization, and sintering (Peng et al., 2017). Crushed spent catalysts are mixed with various collectors such as lead, copper, iron, matte, or PCB (printed circuit board) for helping platinum recovery.

With the combination of unique characteristics, rhodium is commonly used as an electrical contact material for electrical contacts, semiconductor wafers, printed circuit boards (PCBs), and other mission-critical components.

Currently palladium is the metal used in petrol vehicle catalytic converters, with about 2-7 grams per unit, depending on the vehicle in question.

Catalytic converters contain 3 types of precious metals rhodium, palladium and platinum that can cost up to $20,000 per ounce if sold.

It's possible to get up to $1,000 for your catalytic converter. The amount you may be offered at a local scrapyard can vary tremendously since the precious metals inside the converter (namely platinum, palladium, and rhodium) will ultimately determine what the converter is worth.

In this blog post, we discussed what cars have the most expensive catalytic converter for scrap. Now we now that a definitive factor is the quantity of rhodium, palladium and platinum in catalytic converters. This makes a Ferrari F430, Ferrari F250, Dodge Ram 2500 and the Lamborghini Aventador contenders in this list.

How much platinum can be recovered from a catalytic converter? There are between 3-7 grams of platinum group metals in a standard catalytic converter, but the amount varies based on manufacturer and model.

Recycling spent catalytic converters to extract PGMs not only provides raw materials for the precious metals sector, but also provides a sustainable recycling method for further development. However, recovering PGMs is hard since the catalytic converters contain refractory compounds.

The catalytic converters on hybrids often contain more precious metals than those of older or non-hybrid vehicles, making them more valuable.