Closing the loop on platinum from catalytic converters: Contributions from material flow analysis and circularity indicators

Abstract

In this study, material flow analysis (MFA) is applied to quantify and reduce the obstacles for advancing a circular economy (CE) of platinum (Pt) from catalytic converters (CC) in Europe. First, the value chain and related stakeholders are mapped out in an MFA‐like model to both facilitate the assessment of stocks and flows, and get a comprehensive view of potential action levers and resources to close‐the‐loop. Then, through the cross analysis of numerous data sources, two MFA are completed: (i) one general MFA, and (ii) one sector‐specific MFA, drawing a distinction between the fate of Pt from (a) light‐duty vehicles, under the European Union's End of Life Vehicle Directive 2000/EC/53, and (b) heavy‐duty and off‐road vehicles. Key findings reveal a leakage of around 15 tons of Pt outside the European market in 2017. Although approximately one quarter of the losses are due to in‐use dissipation, 65% are attributed to insufficient collection and unregulated exports. Comparing the environmental impact between primary and secondary production, it has been estimated that halving the leakage of Pt during usage and collection could prevent the energetic consumption of 1.3 × 103 TJ and the greenhouse gases emission of 2.5 × 102 kt CO2 eq. Through the lens of circularity indicators, activating appropriate action levers to enhance the CE performance of Pt in Europe is of utmost importance in order to secure future production of new generations of CC and fuel cells. Moreover, the growing stockpile of Pt from CC in use indicates the need for better collection mechanisms. Also, the CC attrition during use and associated Pt emissions in the environment appears non‐negligible. Based on the scarce and dated publications in this regard, we encourage further research for a sound understanding of this phenomenon that can negatively impact human health.

Emerging anthropogenic circularity science: Principles, practices, and challenges

“…Circularity of material is an emerging word in recent year, whereas the circular economy is tentatively employed to solve societal and ecological problems ( Anastas, 2020 ). It is defined as a closed loop ( Saidani et al., 2019 ), in particular through waste recycling or circular economy ( Billiet and Trenor, 2020 ; Cobo et al., 2019 ; Tercero Espinoza et al., 2020 ). Anthropogenic circularity science seeks to create a closed-loop material flow typically linking the green chemistry, supply chain, and industrial ecology at different scales ( Cooper et al., 2020 ; Heisel and Rau-Oberhuber, 2020 ; Linder et al., 2017 ).…”

Design for Product Circularity: Circular Economy Indicators With Tools Mapped Along the Engineering Design Process

“…Also, note that few studies published recently provide both illustrative and real-world use cases on how c-indicators have been used to assess, monitor, and improve the circularity performance of products, e.g. : the CPI applied on a catalytic converter used in heavy-duty off-road vehicles and containing a non-negligible amount of precious metals [37], the CEPI and MCI on a tidal energy device [38], or even a prosthetic finger made of polymer materials demonstrating the usefulness of the MDI [33].…”

Dynamic analysis of platinum material flows and stocks with hybrid MFA method aiming to carbon neutral targets of automotive industry in China

“…whereL j t ð Þ is the platinum loss for process j in year t, N ij t ð Þ is the platinum inflow in process j for catalytic converter in vehicle i in year t, u ij ðtÞ represents the platinum loss rate in process j for catalytic converter in vehicle i in year t. The platinum loss rate is assumed as 10% in the recovery process [14], 1% of collection process [15] and 0.06% as platinum depletion of the EOL catalytic converter [11,16].…”

“…al. proposed that 65% of platinum loss for catalytic converters in Europe was due to insufficient collections and unregulated exports, while 25% of platinum loss was from in-use dissipation [11]. Saurat et al developed an MFA model of PGMs in Europe to quantify the flows of PGMs in 2004, and the results showed that the automotive industry was the single largest user of primary PGMs, and catalytic converters represented the major PGMs end use [12].…”