For precious metals with their price increases, it's a mad, mad, world
The price increases in precious metals have increased the cost of several catalysts used in the petrochemical industry, e.g., the silver catalysts used to synthesize ethylene oxide. The two new ethylene oxide plants planned by Dow Chemical Co. and by Union Carbide Corp. have a total capacity of about 1.05 billion lb/yr, which will require an estimated 1.4 million troy oz of silver, costing $40-$50 million. The need for increased insurance and security provisions will increase the cost of shipping precious metal catalysts. Increased precious metal prices are also affecting the 90% platinum/10% rhodium catalysts used in nitric acid production, which now cost $956,000 per 1000 ton/day nitric acid production, with metal losses of $2.94/ton of acid. However, platinum costs are only a negligible fraction of total petroleum refining costs. Gemini Industries is adding capacity to recover platinum from 10 million lb/yr of emission control catalysts from scrapped automobiles, paying $2.60/lb for pellet and $8.50/lb for honeycomb catalysts, with minimum 1000 lb orders. Other effects of increased precious metal prices are discussed.
- OSTI ID:
- 6337987
- Journal Information:
- Chem. Week; (United States), Vol. 126:9
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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