From over 20 hours to 10 minutes: Japanese team invents easy recycling process of rare metals by using microwave

NewsBharati    25-Dec-2017
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Tokyo, December 25: In the age of growing pollution, climate change, energy crisis, recycling has become a very important diction. While Japan is always famous for its innovative attitude, a Japanese research team has developed a method of recycling platinum using a microwave. Yes, you are reading it right; even microwave can help you to recycle such a costly metal.

The new method is time-saving as well as less costly. The team has succeeded in collecting platinum contained in automotive emission control systems by using a home-use microwave oven. Straight from 20 hours to 10 minutes, the new method will take down the usual time. The conventional method of platinum group metals usually takes 20 hours.

Before heating the metal in the oven, catalytic converters, typically made of ceramics coated with precious metals as well as are being covered with a strong solvent. As well as the metals get dissolved into the solvent, it can be collected in a powdery form after the solvent evaporates.

"The metals can be collected near wrecking yards, also eliminating the cost of transporting (spent parts to recycling plants)," the research team leader Masatoshi Endo said. “With a microwave oven that anybody can operate easily, I hope to put (the new method) into practical use,” the researcher added.


MIcrowave Metal Solvent Recycling Platinum Japan