Possibilities of metals extracton from spent metallic automotive catalytic converters by using biometallurgical method

Abstract

The main task of automotive catalytic converters is reducing the amount of harmful components of exhaust gases. Metallic catalytic converters are an alternative to standard ceramic catalytic converters. Metallic carriers are usually made from FeCrAl steel, which is covered by a layer of Precious Group Metals (PGMs) acting as a catalyst. There are many methods used for recovery of platinum from ceramic carriers in the world, but the issue of platinum and other metals recovery from metallic carriers is poorly described. The article presents results of preliminary experiments of metals biooxidation (Fe, Cr and Al) from spent catalytic converters with metallic carrier, using bacteria of the Acidithiobacillus genus.