Recovery of platinum from fuel cell catalysts Details

New energy is one of the pillar industries for sustainable development of human society in the 21st century, and fuel cells are one of them. Phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC), proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMPC), methanol fuel cell (DMFC), all use Pt-C, Pt-Co-Cr, Pt-Co-Fe, Pt-Ru, Pt-Ni, Pd-C, etc. as catalytic electrodes to convert combustible gases into electricity directly.
Compared with other energy sources, although the economics of fuel cells have been questioned, due to the advantages of low operating temperature, high energy conversion rate, abundant fuel sources, no environmental pollution, and gradually decreasing amount of platinum used (has been reduced from 14g/kw in 1994 to 0.5kw in 2008, and to 0.2g/kw in laboratory), it is used as a small portable power supply, home power station, automobile power, and submarine power supply. The research on its application as a small portable power supply, home power station, automobile power, submarine power supply, etc. has never been interrupted.
The core component of PEMFC battery is membrane electrode, which consists of anode diffusion, anode porous carbon fiber layer, anode catalytic layer, electrolyte membrane, cathode catalytic layer, cathode porous carbon fiber layer and cathode diffusion layer pressed together. The anode and cathode catalytic layer contains Pt (or Pd), with 0.15-0.19mg/cm2 . Used membrane electrodes can be incinerated, chemically dissolved organic compounds in the electrode to make the catalyst stripped, crushed after magnetic separation and other methods to recover the Pt (or Pd).