SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH NOVELTY:
An innovative hydrometallurgical process for the recovery of Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) from Spent Vehicle Catalytic Converters (SVCCs)

PHEIDIAS aims to bring into the market an innovative hydrometallurgical process for the recovery of Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) from Spent Vehicle Catalytic Converters (SVCCs). This technology offers an increased material recovery rate and significantly lower operational costs, as the recovery rates of PGMs from SVCCs, namely Platinum (Pt), Palladium (Pd), and Rhodium (Rd), have already reached ~98%, ~98% and ~60% respectively. This novel process requires significantly less energy loads than the pyro-metallurgical processes mostly employed in the ESEE region. Furthermore, waste management performance is improved, as this innovatory technology uses solvents in lower concentrations.

The project will focus on the markets of Greece, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Cyprus, and Serbia, where project partners have already developed a network of SVCCs suppliers through their previous collaboration in the INNOCAT and INNOCAT-up projects. To that end, partners will upscale and pilot-test the proposed technology at large-scale operation conditions, bringing it from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 to TRL 8 during the project, commercialising it within one year after project completion (TRL 9), in 2023.

Project expected results

Upscaling technological readiness level

Upscale an innovative hydrometallurgical process from TRL5 to TRL8 for the recovery of PGMs from SVCCs in ESEE (East and South East Europe) participating countries.

Extended exploitation of PGMs

Create a secondary source of PGMs value-chains, with an ever increasing potential, that will contribute in the long term to the partial replacement of the primary sources of these metals.

Environmental and economic benefits

Yield environmental and economic benefits, through the increase of the recovery rates of Platinum (Pt), Palladium (Pd) and Rhodium (Rh) and reduce liquid waste, as compared to processes currently employed in the ESEE participating countries

Alignment with EIT Raw Materials objectives

Help towards the alignment of the first and third strategic objectives of EIT Raw Materials, i.e. the securing of raw materials supply and the closing of materials loops respectively.

Impacts and Benefits

RECYCLING PLANTS: Increased precious metals delivery through significantly improved recovery efficiency – Lower operating costs during recovery – Lower waste management costs in the ESEE region – CRMs supply security – Raw materials sector growth – Increased competitiveness of regional and local economies – Rationalisation of spent catalysts’ management – Reduction of waste, CO₂ and energy consumption.
ENVIRONMENTAL: Reduction of energy consumption (Hydrometallurgical method is calculated to reduce energy consumption by three orders of magnitude, compared to pyro-metallurgical methods) – Decrease in waste and CO₂ emissions.
EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT: The project will increase the overall competiveness and the creation of new jobs, as it is estimated that at least 5 new jobs will be created per recycling plant adopting the PHEIDIAS technology in the ESEE region.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Start-ups active in SVCCs recycling will be benefited recycling through conferences, workshops and local events envisioned by the project – Intercompany collaboration will be prompted to either participate in the SVCC collection network or in the PGM distribution.
AWARENESS: Boosted innovation and entrepreneurship – Raised awareness on potential joint actions within the EIT Raw Materials community (contact with over 200 stakeholders in ESEE countries regarding their possible involvement with PGMs recycling).

Innovation

The innovation of the low acidity single step leaching/recovering batch hydrometallurgical method lies in the following:

The above have already resulted in a 4-fold reduction in solvent use and a 7-fold increase in the solid to liquid ratio. A batch that is the solubilisation reactor (main unit of PHEIDIAS process) will hold 1000kg of deactivated monoliths (approximately 1400 SVCCs). The volume will be about 1.5m³ (Monolith process uses 70% solid to liquid ratio). A second reactor of approximately the same capacity is required to recover the PGMs. Finally, a small electrochemical reactor (about 5Kg) is required for PGMs refining.

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The solubilisation of the waste takes place at a pre-treatment stage
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Cheap organic solvents are used by optimizing the concentration of oxidants and salts used
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Minimizing the concentration of solvents while maximizing the solid to liquid ratio.

PHEIDIAS KEY COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

The success of PHEIDIAS’s business development and successful
commercialization is based on the following key aspects of the project.

Technical advantages of the proposed hydro-metallurgical process

Flexibility in use, as the minimum daily production capacity of the hydro-metallurgical production is 1400 SVCCs (or about 1 ton) and not necessarily in daily use.
Low energy consumption (operating at 70°C compared to 1200°C of commercial pyrometallurgical processes).
Much lower concentration/use of solvents that enhances the waste management performance.

Market advantages of the PHEIDIAS technology

A vertical development in the PGMs market.
The efficient production of PGMs products without needing to use the decanning services (removing the outer container) of the large pyrometallurgical factories provides a strong profit boost at PHEIDIAS’s business development.
Invest more resources in building a solid SVCCs supply network.