Converting process with partial pre-oxidation of PGM collector alloy. The process includes partially pre-oxidizing a raw alloy, introducing an initial charge of the partially pre-oxidized alloy into a converter pot, melting the initial charge, introducing converter feed to the pool, oxygen injection into the pool, tapping the slag, and tapping the PGM-enriched alloy. The collector alloy contains no less than 0.5 wt % PGM, 40 wt % iron, and 0.5 wt % nickel, and no more than 3 wt % sulfur and 3 wt % copper. The process can also include low- or no-flux converting; using a refractory protectant in the converter; magnetic separation of slag; recycling part of the slag to the converter; smelting catalyst material in a primary furnace to produce the collector alloy; and/or smelting the converter slag in a secondary furnace with slag from the primary furnace.

A low-flux converting process for PGM collector alloy. The process includes feed introduction into a molten alloy pool, oxygen injection into the pool, tapping the slag, and tapping the PGM-enriched alloy. The collector alloy contains no less than 0.5 wt % PGM, 40 wt % iron, and 0.5 wt % nickel. If added flux material contains more than 10 wt % silica and 10 wt % CaO/MgO, the feed contains no more than 20 parts by weight added flux per hundred collector alloy. The process can also include using a refractory protectant in the converter; melting partially pre-oxidized collector alloy to form the initial molten alloy pool; magnetic separation of slag; recycling part of the slag to the converter; smelting catalyst material in a primary furnace to produce the collector alloy; and/or smelting the converter slag in a secondary furnace with slag from the primary furnace.

A process for the incineration of activated coal-supported PGM catalysts, the process comprising a joint incineration of a multilayer arrangement, wherein the multilayer arrangement includes (i) a top layer of particulate activated coal-supported PGM catalyst, (ii) a layer of coarse charcoal located beneath said top layer and, optionally, (iii) a layer of particulate coke located beneath the charcoal layer, and wherein an upward flow of oxidizing gas is homogeneously passed through said multilayer arrangement during the incineration.

A method for recovery of platinum group metals from a spent catalyst is described. The method includes crushing the spent catalyst to obtain a catalyst particulate material including particles having a predetermined grain size. The method includes subjecting the catalyst particulate material in the reaction zone at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time period in contact with solid chlorine-containing material and solid silicon-containing material to obtain volatile platinum group metal-containing chloride product, and cooling to convert the product into solid phase platinum group metal-containing materials.

A low-flux converting process for PGM collector alloy. The process includes feed introduction into a molten alloy pool, oxygen injection into the pool, tapping the slag, and tapping the PGM-enriched alloy. The collector alloy contains no less than 0.5 wt % PGM, 40 wt % iron, and 0.5 wt % nickel. If added flux material contains more than 10 wt % silica and 10 wt % CaO/MgO, the feed contains no more than 20 parts by weight added flux per hundred collector alloy. The process can also include using a refractory protectant in the converter; melting partially pre-oxidized collector alloy to form the initial molten alloy pool; magnetic separation of slag; recycling part of the slag to the converter; smelting catalyst material in a primary furnace to produce the collector alloy; and/or smelting the converter slag in a secondary furnace with slag from the primary furnace.

A process for the recovery of precious metal (PM) from PM oil, the process including combustion of PM oil within a furnace, where the PM oil is burned in atomized form.

Processes for the production of platinum group metal (PGM)-enriched alloys are described. The PGM enriched-alloys can have 0 to 60 wt.-% of iron and 20 to 99 wt.-% of one or more PGMs selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium and rhodium. The described processes exhibit remarkably low PGM losses during production of PGM-enriched alloys therefore yield alloys having considerably high PGM levels.

A recycling process that facilitates separation of materials from metallic substrates by cryogenically cooling the recyclable items to induce embrittlement of the metals. Embrittled metals may be shattered more efficiently and with a higher yield of materials bound to the metallic substrates. Metal embrittlement may be induced by mixing the source stream with liquid nitrogen, and cooling the stream to approximately minus 200? F. Multiple recovery stages may be employed to maximize the yield of the target materials. Embodiments may enable recovery of platinum group metals (PGMs) from catalytic converters with metallic foil substrates. Yield of PGMs may be enhanced by employing a primary recovery stage and a secondary recovery stage, by cryogenically cooling input materials for each stage, by mixing the pulverized material in secondary recovery with an aqueous solution to dissipate attractive charges, and by wet screening the pulverized material slurry to obtain the PGM particles.

A process for production of a PGM (platinum group metal)-enriched alloy containing iron and PGM(s) (platinum, palladium and/or rhodium) includes steps of: (1) providing a sulfur-free PGM collector alloy, (2) providing a copper- and sulfur-free material capable of forming a molten slag-type composition including silicon dioxide and magnesium and/or calcium oxide, (3) melting the PGM collector alloy and slag-forming material within a converter until a multi-phase system of a lower high-density molten mass of PGM collector alloy and an upper low-density molten mass of slag-type composition has formed, (4) contacting an oxidizing gas with the lower high-density molten mass of step (3) until conversion of the PGM collector alloy into a PGM-enriched alloy, (5) separating an upper molten slag formed in step (4) from the PGM-enriched alloy by difference in density, (6) allowing the separated molten masses to cool down and solidify, and (7) collecting the solidified PGM-enriched alloy.

A method for producing a PGM collector alloy comprising the steps of: (1) providing (a) copper and/or silver, (b) material, which is to be processed melt-metallurgically, in the form of at least one sodium and/or potassium aluminosilicate support equipped with at least one PGM, and (c) at least one compound selected from the group consisting of iron oxides, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, sodium carbonate, and potassium carbonate, (2) joint melting of the materials provided in step (1) at a temperature in the range of 1250 to <1450? C. by maintaining a 100:40 to 100:20 weight ratio of the materials provided in sub-steps (1b) and (1c), and a 35:65 to 80:20 weight ratio of copper and/or silver: PGM by forming a melt comprising two phases of different density, (3) separating the upper phase of low density of molten slag from the lower phase of high density of molten PGM collector alloy by utilizing the density difference, (4) allowing the melting phases separated from one another to cool down and solidify, and (5) collecting the solidified PGM collector alloy.