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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Microscopic Thermal Behavior of Iron-Mediated Platinum Group Metal Capture from Spent Automotive Catalysts

by
Xiaoping Zhu
1,
Ke Shi
1,
Chuan Liu
2,3,*,
Yige Yang
1,
Jinrong Zhao
1,
Xiaolong Sai
1,
Shaobo Wen
1 and
Shuchen Sun
4
1
School of Chemical Equipment, Shenyang University of Technology, Liaoyang 111003, China
2
Chongqing Innovation Center, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Chongqing 401120, China
3
Chongqing Sanhang Advanced Materials Research Institute Co., Ltd., Chongqing 401135, China
4
School of Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
J. Manuf. Mater. Process. 2026, 10(1), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmmp10010034
Submission received: 19 December 2025 / Revised: 8 January 2026 / Accepted: 12 January 2026 / Published: 13 January 2026
Versions Notes

Abstract

This research investigates the micro-mechanisms and process control associated with the recovery of platinum group metals (PGMs) from spent automotive catalysts (SACs) through iron capturing. High-temperature smelting experiments, complemented by SEM-EDS and XRD analyses, demonstrate that PGMs spontaneously migrate from the slag phase to the iron phase, driven by interfacial energy, where they are captured to form alloy droplets with a PGM content exceeding 4 wt.%. The composite flux (CaO/H3BO3) markedly diminishes slag viscosity and enhances the density differential between slag and metal. This facilitates the aggregation, sedimentation, and separation of alloy droplets in accordance with Stokes’ law, thereby lowering the effective capture temperature from 1700 °C to 1500 °C and reducing energy consumption. Additionally, the flux inhibits the formation of detrimental Fe-Si alloys. PGMs form substitutional solid solutions that are uniformly dispersed within the iron matrix. This study provides both the theoretical and technical foundations necessary for the development of efficient, low-energy processes aimed at capturing and recovering Fe-PGMs alloys.
Keywords: platinum group metals; iron capture; spent automotive catalysts; melting mechanism; slagmetal separation platinum group metals; iron capture; spent automotive catalysts; melting mechanism; slagmetal separation

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhu, X.; Shi, K.; Liu, C.; Yang, Y.; Zhao, J.; Sai, X.; Wen, S.; Sun, S. Microscopic Thermal Behavior of Iron-Mediated Platinum Group Metal Capture from Spent Automotive Catalysts. J. Manuf. Mater. Process. 2026, 10, 34. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmmp10010034

AMA Style

Zhu X, Shi K, Liu C, Yang Y, Zhao J, Sai X, Wen S, Sun S. Microscopic Thermal Behavior of Iron-Mediated Platinum Group Metal Capture from Spent Automotive Catalysts. Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing. 2026; 10(1):34. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmmp10010034

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhu, Xiaoping, Ke Shi, Chuan Liu, Yige Yang, Jinrong Zhao, Xiaolong Sai, Shaobo Wen, and Shuchen Sun. 2026. "Microscopic Thermal Behavior of Iron-Mediated Platinum Group Metal Capture from Spent Automotive Catalysts" Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing 10, no. 1: 34. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmmp10010034

APA Style

Zhu, X., Shi, K., Liu, C., Yang, Y., Zhao, J., Sai, X., Wen, S., & Sun, S. (2026). Microscopic Thermal Behavior of Iron-Mediated Platinum Group Metal Capture from Spent Automotive Catalysts. Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing, 10(1), 34. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmmp10010034

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