OUR PROCESS

Collection

The point of origin of a used or end-of-life converter is a service garage, a muffler shop, a car dismantling yard, a junkyard, a shredder of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap, a scrap collector. Simply put, there are thousands and thousands of outlets.
Collectors (whether specialised in spent catalytic converters, automotive spare-parts or scrap in general) take it upon themselves to go to all these points, "collect" smaller individual quantities and bring it to their own yard or warehouse in order to accumulate larger quantities. In a later step, these collectors will possibly sell to wholesale collectors, alternatively ship directly to a pgm refiner for direct sale or toll-refining.
Umicore performs its own collection in some areas and relies on a network of independent preferred partners in others.

Decanning of Ceramic Converters

The decanning of (ceramic) catalytic converters, containing ceramic honeycomb bricks, implies opening the converter in order to separate the ceramic brick (or broken brick) from the steel can.
This type of operation is mostly done by some form of hydraulic shear (commonly called "guillotines" in North America; in Europe, the most common process is best described as a modified alligator shear). Alternative processes include a plasma burner or a disc saw, but the latter two processes are usually limited to small quantities.
Umicore uses guillotines in its North American operations and modified alligator shears in its European operations.

HINT: Whatever the process used, make sure to play proper attention to dust collection and safety.

Shredding of Metallic Converters

The shredding of (metallic) catalytic converters, containing a metallic substrate (rolled up corrugated foil), itself coated with a thin layer of metal oxides (washcoat), is achieved by passing it through one or more different types of shredders, zerdirators, hammer mills, and the like, followed by separation of various fractions of steel scrap (such as can-fraction, foil-fraction) from the precious metal containing fraction (= washcoat).
At Umicore Autocatalyst Recycling GmbH's operations in Alzenau (Germany), the dedicated and highly elaborate shredding line is fully automated and is hereby able to achieve a high recovery yield for the washcoat.

Weighing and sampling of ceramic honeycomb or washcoat

Making sure that material is accurately weighed and sampled (hence generates correct weights, moisture content and representative samples for assaying) is one of the most important steps in an assay-based transaction. Indeed, if the sample is not "representative", how can the supplier get the return he deserves? At Umicore Precious Metal Refining, the customer has the right to witness the weighing and sampling process, thereby increasing the level of trust and confidence.
A full description of the weighing and sampling procedures used by Umicore is available on request.

Assaying

Representative samples are assayed by the refiner's lab as well as, when desired, by the customer's lab (alternatively an external lab appointed by the customer). Assays of both labs can then be exchanged and compared, leading to settlement by splitting or, if the differences are too large, reliance on assays by a third party, typically called an "umpire".
Assaying can be done by a variety of different techniques, possibly leading to similar results.
Umicore uses fire-assay (collection on Pb) followed by ICP for final determination and has a century-long expertise in low concentrations. A full description of the assaying method is available on request.

Smelting and Refining

The flow sheet of Umicore Precious Metals Refining allows for various points of entry for spent catalysts, whether autocatalysts or industrial catalysts.
The choice for the optimal entry point into the flow sheet is always the result of optimising the contribution which various parameters have on cost, yield and time, such as the exact constituents of the material, its physical form (whether important for handling or processing), equipment capacity, ...
As far as spent autocatalysts are concerned, the Cu-route is favoured, whereby the precious metals are collected on Cu in the Cu-smelter. For more details, see the full description of the metallurgical flow sheet under: www.preciousmetals.umicore.com/process.
Unlike some other operations, Umicore Precious Metal Refining processes the spent autocatalysts on-site up to 99.95% fine metals.

"As is" versus "assay-based" settlement

There are two "extreme" models against which economical values contained in the catalytic converters are recovered by an actor in the collection chain:

1. Sale against a fixed price.
   • What: Pricing (spot) per unit converter or unit weight, as a function of:
     • estimated weight of monolith,
     • estimated precious metal assay,
     • estimated precious metal prices,
     • estimated costs.
     In practice, use of a regularly updated price list, with/without brand/size/type differentiation.
   • Pros:
     • Very simple formula: price/unit
     • Easy administration
     • Immediate payment: no fluid assets problems
     • No price risk
     • No expertise necessary for sale of precious metals
   • Cons:
     • The supplier has to develop an expertise on his own regarding the quality of the various converters.
     • Little transparency: the supplier has no real idea of the different components influencing the price offered.
     • There is more than just the price.
2. Recovery of precious metals against a processing cost ("toll refining")
   • What:
     • Recovery of Pt, Pd, Rh including:
       • weighing / counting+decanning+weighing,
       • crushing,
       • sampling,
       • assaying,
       • allowing actual determination of Pt, Pd, Rh content.
     • This is followed by credit to metal account, for subsequent:
       • account-to-account transfer,
       • sale to Umicore Precious Metals,
       • physical delivery,
       • subject to payment of contractual processing costs.
   • Pros:
     • Transparency: customer knows the exact metal content and receives corresponding return.
     • Potential for highest yield: no cushion for covering against quality and price risks, since the settlement is based on the actual weight and precious metal assay.
   • Cons:
     • Waiting for metal credit means long financing period.
     • Marketing the precious metals requires some expertise.
     • Price risk until actual sale of the recovered metals, unless estimated metals content have been hedged.
     • More complicated formulas and administration.