Purchase and recycling

We purchase:

  • Automotive catalysts

    Part of the exhaust system that reduces the amount of harmful substances in the exhaust gas. There are two types of catalysts:

  • Ceramic catalysts

    To put it simply, they consist of a stainless steel housing and a ceramic insert, whose surface is sprayed with platinum group metals (PGMs).

  • Metal catalysts

    Made of a metal block with layers of corrugated foil that forms a network of channels, which contains PGMs similarly to a

    ceramic catalyst insert.

  • Industrial catalysts

  • Particulate filters

  • Ceramic monolith

Recycling process

PGMs, mainly platinum, palladium and rhodium, stimulate the carbon oxides, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gas to react, reducing the emission of harmful compounds. The content of precious metals (PGMs) in automotive catalyst inserts varies on average between 0.2 and 0.3%, depending on the age of the vehicle and the type of fuel used. Catalyst recycling processes are aimed at the recovery of precious metals for their reuse. When ceramic catalysts are delivered to the ECR plant, their metal housing is removed and their ceramic inserts are taken to the so-called ball mills, in which they are ground to the appropriate grain size. The resulting material then undergoes chemical analysis to check the content of precious metals (platinum, palladium and rhodium). The prepared material is then packed in 1–1.5 tonne bags (so-called big bags) and transported to entities who recover precious metals contained in the delivered material in metallurgical processes.