DETERMINATION OF SELECTED ELEMENTS IN CATALYTIC CONVERTERS USING ICP-MS AND MICROWAVE DIGESTION

• Published in: Acta Innovations Vol. 38; no. 38; pp. 5 - 11
• Main Authors: Kieres, Weronika, Palka, Grzegorz, Łuczak-Zelek, Karolina, Partyka, Monika
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Research and Innovation Centre Pro-Akademia 2021; Centrum Badań i Innowacji Pro-Akademia
• Subjects: atalytic converter; car catalyst; circular economy; Economy; Energy and Environmental Studies; icp-ms; Methodology and research technology; microwave digestion; ICPMS; microwave digestion; catalytic converter; car catalyst; circular economy
• ISSN: 2300-5599; 2300-5599
• DOI: 10.32933/ActaInnovations.38.1

Fuels combustion, polluting the atmosphere is a side effect of an engines’ work. Increasing ecological awareness has led to constant pursuit of disposing harmful substances properly. Catalytic converters (car catalysts), containing precious metals from the platinum group, including palladium, platinum and rhodium, have been commonly adopted for this purpose. These critical elements can be found in many raw materials used frequently throughout the economy. Therefore, it is economically viable to retrieve these elements from, among the others, spent catalysts, so they can be reused to manufacture new converters. In order to determine a possible cost of spent car catalyst, it is essential to use the analytical techniques to determine elemental content in any given sample. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) is an example of such a technique. It is nevertheless advisable to use a complementary procedure to confirm any results obtained. A cross-verification technique was developed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). This procedure was verified using comparative studies, which confirmed its usefulness and correctness.