Patent ID: 8092573

Claim:
A process for the production of purified platinum and rhodium from an impure PGM source containing platinum and rhodium, said process comprising: (a) obtaining an anhydrous admixture comprising a platinum halide and a rhodium halide from said impure PGM source; (b) treating said platinum and rhodium halides with carbon monoxide at an effective temperature, pressure and time to form platinum and rhodium carbonyl halides as a gaseous mixture; and (i) heating said gaseous mixture at an effective platinum carbonyl halide decomposition temperature lower than a rhodium carbonyl halide effective decomposition temperature in the absence of a chlorine scavenger, to produce said purified platinum and a platinum carbonyl halide-depleted gas and, subsequently, (ii) heating said depleted gas at an effective rhodium carbonyl halide decomposition temperature in the presence of a chlorine scavenger to produce said purified rhodium.