Platinum is going for around $1000 an ounce, so there is much less than an ounce of platinum in there. And it's firmly attached to some ceramic beads and mixed in with a few other catalyst metals. And it takes a particularly dangerous mixture of strong acids to remove the platinum.
The pyrometallurgical process for the recovery of platinum from the spent catalyst involves three methods: smelting, vaporization, and sintering (Peng et al., 2017). Crushed spent catalysts are mixed with various collectors such as lead, copper, iron, matte, or PCB (printed circuit board) for helping platinum recovery.
Generally, a used catalytic converter can be worth $50 to $250 or more. However, some converters can be much more valuable because of the high concentration of precious metals they contain, such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium.
Catalytic converters contain Platinum, Rhodium and Palladium. However, there is no gold in catalytic converters.
Catalytic converters (which are required in most civilized countries around the world) are lined with approximately 3 to 7 grams of platinum. This comes out to about 9.6-22% of one troy ounce, which equates to about $96-$224 worth of platinum with a spot price of $996 (spot at the time of writing).
While the amount of platinum varies and may depend on the size of your vehicle, you can usually find between three and seven grams of platinum in your catalytic converter.
WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT A CATALYTIC CONVERTER BEFORE I PURCHASE ONE? First off, it's important for you to know that it is illegal for any salvage yard to sell catalytic converters. Pull-A-Part removes catalytic converters from all vehicles before putting them out on our display yards.
You can technically drive without a catalytic converter, but doing so would be illegal. If your catalytic converter has been stolen, you'll probably notice because your engine will be much louder while idling. Driving without a catalytic converter won't compromise your safety, but you will be at risk of being fined.
The current price of Rhodium is $166.86 per gram.
Please note that the price provided above is the retail price for private investors and is aligned with industry retail pricing.
Currently palladium is the metal used in petrol vehicle catalytic converters, with about 2-7 grams per unit, depending on the vehicle in question. Platinum has a lower temperature tolerance, which is why it is typically used in diesel vehicles or hybrids.
Platinum is generally valued higher than gold. This is because platinum is rarer than gold, has a higher density and is purer. Platinum rings require more platinum than gold rings require gold, which can increase the overall cost.
To extract the platinum, the catalytic converter must be heated to a high temperature in order to burn off any remaining debris. The platinum can then be separated from the other metals using various chemical processes, such as acid digestion or leaching.
It's possible to get up to $1,000 for your catalytic converter. The amount you may be offered at a local scrapyard can vary tremendously since the precious metals inside the converter (namely platinum, palladium, and rhodium) will ultimately determine what the converter is worth.
LKQ is the largest auto recycler in the country. Last year we recyled over 800,000 vehicles. We resell all the salavagable parts and the remaining material is sold to scrap metal processors. The catalytic converters we remove are sold seperately to smelter processors so that they can be properly recycled.
In recent years, the prices of palladium and rhodium, key metals used in catalytic converters, surged dramatically. This price increase resulted in significant profits for those involved in the recycling business.
According to data from 2020, the most expensive catalytic converter belonged to the Ferrari F430, with a mind-popping $3,770.00 price tag. Moreover, the F430 needed two of them, so a full replacement would run car owners $7,540 before labor costs.
A catalytic converter that is newer and has 3- or 4-way emissions will be worth more than a 2-way or old converter. The second factor is the condition of the converter. A catalytic converter that is broken in half or melted will not be worth as much.
The quantity of platinum in a catalytic converter varies based on the converter's design and type. From 2 to 7 grams or 0,07 – 0,25 is how many ounces of platinum are in a catalytic converter on average. However, this weight can fluctuate depending on the specific converter model and the year of manufacture.
Mining platinum in placer deposits is a relatively simple process. Dredges scoop the platinum-bearing sand or gravel from riverbeds or mining pits. The material is washed until platinum grains or nuggets are captured and pulled from the surrounding material. Sperrylite, or platinum arsenide.
In short, genuine scrap catalytic converter prices usually range from £10 -£400 each.
Palladium is also widely used in catalytic reactions in industry, such as in hydrogenation of unsaturated hydrocarbons, as well as in jewellery and in dental fillings and crowns. But the main use of palladium, along with rhodium and platinum, is in the three-way catalytic converters in car exhaust systems.