Patent ID: 7704469

Claim:
A process for recovering ruthenium from a used ruthenium-comprising catalyst which comprises ruthenium as ruthenium oxide on a support material which is sparingly soluble in mineral acid, which comprises: a) the catalyst comprising ruthenium oxide is treated in a stream of hydrogen, with ruthenium oxide present on the support being reduced to metallic ruthenium; and b) the reduced catalyst from a) comprising metallic ruthenium on the support material is treated with hydrochloric acid having a hydrogen chloride content from 20 to 37% by weight in the presence of air at a temperature of from 60 to 150° C., wherein air is passed into the hydrochloric acid, with the metallic ruthenium present on the support being dissolved as ruthenium(III) chloride and being obtained as ruthenium(III) chloride solution.