I don't know nearly enough about the mining of precious metals such as platinum to estimate how much it costs to get a reasonable amount from the earth. But, I do know that the metal is expensive to buy, so it must at least be reasonably difficult, right? So, perhaps we should be looking at recovering the precious metals, again like platinum, that we have already unearthed. That is what researchers from Cardiff University are suggesting.
One potential source for the recovery of platinum is from our own roadways. The team from Cardiff is trying to figure out the best place to find the platinum which is slowly emitted from our own tailpipes from our catalytic converters. One possible source: road cleaners. Sounds a little far-fetched, I know... but it's worth a shot. Like I said, if a reasonable amount can be recovered and recycled, that much less needs to be found in veins in the earth. Now, the researchers say they are hoping to reduce the cost of fuel cells, but more immediate uses would obviously be in more catalytic converters and other exhaust treatment systems which require the metal.
[Source: Cardiff University]
One potential source for the recovery of platinum is from our own roadways. The team from Cardiff is trying to figure out the best place to find the platinum which is slowly emitted from our own tailpipes from our catalytic converters. One possible source: road cleaners. Sounds a little far-fetched, I know... but it's worth a shot. Like I said, if a reasonable amount can be recovered and recycled, that much less needs to be found in veins in the earth. Now, the researchers say they are hoping to reduce the cost of fuel cells, but more immediate uses would obviously be in more catalytic converters and other exhaust treatment systems which require the metal.
[Source: Cardiff University]
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