How Do You Recycle a Catalytic Converter?

Your catalytic converter is a valuable part of your car. In fact, more than 14,000 catalytic converter thefts occurred in 2020.

Recycling the catalytic converter is a smart choice if you had to replace it or you're scrapping your vehicle.

Find out more about what the catalytic converter does and why it's so valuable. Then learn how recycling works. You'll have the information you need to benefit from catalytic converter recycling services.

What Is a Catalytic Converter?

The catalytic converter is part of your car's exhaust system. It helps control emissions and makes them less harmful for the environment.

An input pipe brings gases in from the engine. They blow over the catalyst. This causes a chemical reaction that changes the chemical structure of the pollutants.

The catalyst is a ceramic-based honeycomb structure lined with precious metals. The most important metals are platinum, rhodium, and palladium.

Platinum and rhodium turn nitrogen dioxides into nitrogen and oxygen.

Platinum and palladium oxidize carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. The addition of oxygen turns carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide. Hydrocarbons become carbon dioxide and water.

The formerly polluting gases are cleaner. They exit through the output pipe that's connected to the car's tailpipe.

When to Recycle Your Catalytic Converter

You likely have a catalytic converter to recycle for one of two reasons.

First, you may need to replace your catalytic converter. The catalytic converter normally lasts for the life of the car. You may need to replace it, though, if the car backfires frequently or you fail an emissions test.

Second, you may be scrapping the entire car. If you're sending your car to the junkyard, you don't want to forget the catalytic converter.

Benefits of Recycling Your Catalytic Converter

Recycling the catalytic converter has benefits for you and the environment.

The precious metals have a high value and can bring you a nice payout. Catalyst recycling reduces landfill waste. It also reduces the amount of mining necessary to produce new catalytic converters.

Get Paid for the Platinum Group Metal Value

The most valuable precious metals found in your catalytic converter are platinum, rhodium, and palladium. These three metals belong to the platinum group. Platinum group metals are extremely rare.

These metals have a variety of uses including jewelry, medical and electronic devices, and chemical production.

The price of platinum group metals has risen sharply in 2021. Platinum was worth almost $1,300 per troy ounce (ozt) in February. Rhodium had a value of over $22,000 ozt, and palladium was worth over $2,400 ozt.

One standard catalytic converter has 3-7 grams of platinum group metal. The amount varies depending on the make and model of the vehicle.

Many factors go into determining the price you'll get for a recycled catalytic converter. However, you could make over a hundred dollars.

Environmental Benefits

Recycling your catalytic converter reduces the amount of waste going to the landfill.

When catalytic converters end up in a landfill, they can release toxins into the ground and water supply. Recycling helps avoid this serious problem.

Recycling means less mining is necessary to meet the demand for PGM production. Mining metals like platinum is difficult because the metals are rare. Deep tunnels are necessary to extract platinum ore.

The conditions are dangerous, and the mining is labor and energy intensive. Processing the ore requires the intensive use of chemicals.

In addition, a large amount of ore produces only a small amount of finished platinum. It can take as much as 12 tons of ore to produce a single troy ounce of pure platinum.

Recycling your catalytic converters helps increase the global supply of PGMs without increasing the amount of mining.

How Does Catalytic Converter Recycling Work?

The recycling process for catalytic converters has several steps. The core buyer will first grade the catalytic converter. This will give you the price of the day.

Second, the catalytic converter processor separates the recyclable components from the other material. The de-canning process allows for reclamation of the precious metals as well as the housing around them.

Next, the catalyst is pulverized. A sample from the batch shows the concentration of PGMs in the small pieces. The core buyer then ships the batch to a smelter or refiner.

After that, the refiner separates the precious metals from the pieces of ceramic honeycomb core. The best PGM recovery rate is through a pyrometallurgical process. This process uses heat to separate the precious metals from the ceramic material.

The material melts for 12 hours in a furnace at 1,200ºF.

The PGMs cool and solidify. A chemical separation process purifies the precious metals. These techniques include dissolution, solvent extraction, and selective precipitation. Some ceramic material will dissolve in acid, which leaves precious metal residue behind.

Finally, the refiner sells the purified platinum, rhodium, and palladium to manufacturers and industries.

Tips for Recycling Your Catalytic Converter

Following a few tips will help ensure you get the best price from the catalytic converter processor.

First, don't remove the honeycomb from the outer shell. The core buyer needs information from the intact catalytic converter to give you the most accurate scrap catalytic value. In addition, the ceramic catalyst is considered hazardous waste once it's out of the outer shell.

You may want to cut off the exhaust pipes yourself, though. This means less work for the scrap yard. You may get a better price.

Finding the Best Catalytic Converter Processor

When you have a catalytic converter to recycle, you want to find the core buyer who will give you the best price. You also expect excellent customer service and a convenient experience.

G&D Cats is a family-owned company that specializes in catalytic converter recycling. We're dedicated to helping you and protecting the environment by providing the best recycling service. Unlike some catalyst recycling facilities, no load is too big or too small for us.

We guarantee the best price in the market. Contact us for more information. We look forward to working with you.