Patent ID: 7815706
Filing Date: 2010-10-19
Classification: C22B,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A method for recovering platinum group elements comprising: charging into a closed electric furnace and melting, together with flux components and a reducing agent, a platinum group element-containing substance including spent petrochemical type catalyst or spent vehicle exhaust gas purification catalyst to be processed and a copper source material containing copper oxide; sinking molten metal of primarily metallic copper below a molten slag layer of primarily oxides; and enriching the platinum group elements in the molten metal sunk below, which method for recovering platinum group elements is characterized in that the copper source material charged into the electric furnace is composed of granules of an average grain diameter of not less than 0.1 mm and not greater than 10 mm and by the steps of: ascertaining a copper content of molten slag in the furnace by sampling and analyzing; and discharging molten slag from the electric furnace when a copper content of the molten slag determined by said ascertaining step is 3.0 wt. % or less.