Recycling Catalytic Converters: Process

Owing to the recent boost in curbing environmental degradation, the urge to save the air we breathe gave birth to a device called catalytic converter. Manufacturers extracted precious metals from earth and made a catalyst out of them that could render the harmful pollutants from vehicles into something less harmful. This process proved to be a boon to limit air pollution to some extent. However, it gave birth to another problem: the growing heap of scrap catalytic converters. When the catalyst of the converter is exhausted, it needs to be scrapped and the vehicle needs to be fitted with a new one. So where does this discarded converter go? Some innovative minds thought of the environmental material balance and came forward with revolutionary recycling processes to catalytic converter recycling. This article discusses what happens in a converter recycling process.

The catalytic converter buyers procure these converters in a bulk from suppliers that deal directly with sellers. The buyers either possess wholly-owned or subsidiary units of processing that are required to utilize the remnants of a catalytic converter. From the very first step to the last, here is what happens when you decide to scrap your catalytic converter.

1. The collection stage: this is the stage where the converter from your garage is extracted and stored, and it awaits a first-level buyer to come and take it away. This usually is a garage or a service/repair shop. Once enough converters are accumulated, the garage guys ring up a buyer to take the scrap converters away.
2. The catalytic converter de-canning stage: this stage consists of opening up the honeycomb structure that the catalytic converter is made of. This structure houses the catalyst. It is done by using some sort of hydraulic shear machine. Sometimes, a plasma burner may also be used.
3. Shredding of a catalytic converter: this is the third stage of recycling. It is performed on metallic devices that have some metal that can be reused. Shredding is a process of separating metal of the converter from other non-metallic parts. It also consists of separating steel from other precious metals contained in the converter.
4. Weighing and sampling: this process is the most important process of the entire story of recycling. The payable materials inside the converter are weighed to calculate their worth, so that the supplier can be recompensed for his hard work of procuring the converters and sending them to the recyclers.
5. Smelting and refining: this process helps to extract the precious metals from the converter. It can be safely assumed here that the more efficient this process is, the more benefits it will bring. Extraction of precious metals from a converter is achieved through using collector metals like copper, lead and nickel in the smelting and refining process. Efficiency is also tested when it comes to environmental standards, because this process may involve emission of pollutants. Thus, the smelting plant needs to be standards compliant.

For more information on catalytic converter smelting, visit Globalrefininggroup.com

About The Author

Tom Blake is an expert in recycling catalytic converters who also likes to write many interesting articles and blogs, helping people in understanding the process and the many advantages that stem from it. In the US, he recommends Globalrefininggroup.com as the most trusted specialist for this job.

Benjamin Harvey is a mechanical engineer specializing in automobiles, and is closely associated with working and researching on catalytic converters.