Abstract
Japan is a leading producer and consumer of rare metals, importing almost all of the rare metals from around the world in order to produce massive amounts of high-tech and energy-saving products. As a result, a large amount of products containing rare metals and the scrap waste from these products have accumulated in the country. As this scrap is now considered a valuable rare metal resource, it has become imperative to develop processes for the efficient recycling of these rare metals, especially in a country like Japan that has very few mineral resources of its own. Platinum group metals (PGMs) are indispensable for auto-catalysts and electronic devices being used in developed societies, however, these resources are extremely localized in countries such as South Africa and Russia. The annual production of PGMs is much smaller among that of all other rare metals. With the rapid economic growth of the BRIC countries, there is an increased demand for PGMs. This paper reviews the current status of PGM recycling processes involving the pyrometallurgical route.
