Patent ID: 7687663

Claim:
A process for recovering noble metal from an aqueous process stream comprising a solubilized noble metal and at least one organic chelating agent and generated in a process for making an N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine product by the heterogeneous noble metal-catalyzed oxidation of an N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid substrate, the recovery process comprising: contacting at least a portion of the aqueous process stream generated in the process for making an N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine product by the heterogeneous noble metal-catalyzed oxidation of an N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid substrate with a noble metal adsorption media to remove at least a portion of the solubilized noble metal therefrom and produce a treated aqueous process stream having a reduced concentration of noble metal and a noble metal adsorption media comprising the noble metal; and incinerating the noble metal adsorption media comprising the noble metal to form an ash comprising the noble metal.