No auto shop, body shop, or scrap yard should miss the revenue available by recycling catalytic converters. Most content on recycling will encourage readers to sell a catalytic converter for money but will focus on cars and light trucks. This is fair because that is where most of the parts come from, and where most of the precious metals are. But every modern internal combustion engine is fitted with a catalytic converter to clean up the exhaust; in fact, they have been required on many vehicles since the 1970s. This includes motorcycles, boats, and generators. Regardless of the vehicle that they came from, catalytic converters in the junkyard represent a wasted opportunity because the platinum, palladium, and rhodium they contain are very valuable.
What Makes Catalytic Converters Valuable?
In short, they are valuable scrap items because they rely on rare metals. The demand for those metals somewhat outstrips the supply, which helps keep the price per ounce quite high. Why do catalytic converters need precious metals? The full process of cleaning engine exhausts relies on the special properties of platinum group metals – palladium, platinum, and rhodium. Those metals help turn carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and unburned hydrocarbons. Those compounds create smog, particulate pollution, and more. Decades ago, federal regulations mandated that cars and light trucks have catalytic converters for that reason.
Those metals are pretty much the sole reason to sell a catalytic converter to a recycler. The steel case and exhaust pipes have minimal scrap value, as do the oxygen sensors. Those sensors, typically two of them per exhaust pipe contain tiny amounts of palladium or platinum. They can be worth collecting at a commercial establishment that may get hundreds a year. And some recycling operations will buy used oxygen sensors in bulk to recover their PGM (Platinum Group Metals) content for resale.
The best way to make money from a stockpile of junk catalysts is to package them and ship them to a commercial recycler like Belanger Converter Recycler.
The Real Reason to Recycle - Money
The price of platinum, palladium, and rhodium fluctuates regularly, which creates an opportunity as well as a risk. In mid-November of 2022, platinum was selling for $1,027 per ounce while palladium was going for $1,982. Each piece may only have a fraction of an ounce of each element, but that is enough.
For a person with a junk car from 2007, that old converter might bring $100 to $300 for the value of those PGMs (Platinum Group Metals). Multiply that by 100 parts, and the value of stockpiling these parts to recycle them becomes obvious. There is an economic argument for recovering the metals but there are also environmental benefits.
The average catalytic converter has a few hundred dollars in precious metals inside. The amount will vary due to several factors. Older converters were less efficient and needed more PGMs to reach the required level of performance. Some converter models are bigger than other models, which affects the amount of PGMs inside. Broadly speaking, the amount of recoverable precious metals will range from 1 to 15 grams, with the highest amount being found in converters used by heavy trucks.
Of course, some vehicles have two catalytic converters, so a scrapyard may easily have a quarter ounce each of palladium and platinum in a junked vehicle. Any business that handles exhaust system work or junked vehicles may end up with several ounces each of platinum and palladium and a little bit of rhodium on site.
The Environmental Benefits
Recycling is good for the planet and good for business. Metals that are recycled prevent a good quantity of metal from being mined to meet the demand. The mining byproducts contaminate air and water. Environmentally conscious consumers will be happy to know you are doing your part to reduce waste, and the impacts of mining. The platinum, palladium, and rhodium that catalytic converters rely on are rare. This means it takes quite a bit of energy to get an ounce of platinum or palladium out of the ground. Recovering the metals from scrap auto parts consumes far less energy and produces far less waste. The logic is similar for scrap steel, lead (from auto batteries), and aluminum.
Old catalytic converters are not toxic, but the financial and environmental benefits of recycling them are clear. Old aluminum wheels and lead acid batteries similarly take up space in landfills. Lead acid batteries are not even supposed to be there because lead is a serious environmental hazard. The battery acid is also toxic, and obviously corrosive too.
Keep Catalytic Converters from a Junkyard
A catalytic converter in a junkyard is a wasted opportunity. The platinum group metals in a catalytic converter are valuable and recycling them reduces the environmental impact of mining. Whether you want to sell a catalytic converter or several pallets of them, you have options. If you want to get a fair price for your scrap catalytic converters, contact Belanger Converter Recycling or download our smartphone app, Group Catalyst. This iOS and Android app will help you quickly research prices and manage your inventory.
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