Research Progress on Metallurgical Recovery of Platinum Group Metals from Spent Automotive Catalysts

Abstract

This paper reviews recent advances in metallurgical technologies for recovering platinum group metals (PGMs) from spent automotive catalysts. The composition, catalytic principles, and failure mechanisms of automotive catalysts are introduced, followed by a systematic analysis of the principles, current applications, and advantages and disadvantages of three recovery processes. pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, and biohydrometallurgy. Pyrometallurgy offers large processing capacity but is energyintensive and causes significant pollution. Hydrometallurgy achieves high recovery rates but involves complex wastewater treatment. Biohydrometallurgy is environmentally friendly but still at a developmental stage. In the future, PGM recovery technologies should evolve toward greener, less toxic, and more efficient approaches, promoting the sustainable recycling of PGM resources.