What Does Platinum Do in a Fuel Cell? And How Can You Make Money Recycling It?
“Platinum, platinum alloys with transition metals, platinum-ruthenium alloy, palladium and other similar catalytic materials have been the most commonly utilized catalyst materials for various electrochemical devices such as fuel cell, electrolyzers, electrochemical pumps (also known as electrochemical compressors), electrochemical inerters, electrochemical dehumidification, etc.”
- Source: FuelCellStore.com
Fuel cells are poised to become one of the most important automotive technologies of the future. In fact, we are going to make a prediction that might surprise fans of today’s all-electric cars . . .
Hydrogen-fueled cars that use fuel cells will become even more popular than plug-in all-electric cars
We predict the popularity of fuel cell-powered cars will surge as soon as the infrastructure is developed that will allow motorists to pull into refueling stations and say, “Fill my car up with hydrogen.”
As that happens, the use of hydrogen fuel cells will surge. And because those fuel cells contain platinum (and in some cases, ruthenium too), they will become an increasingly important source of platinum scrap that precious metals investors can buy and recycle.
But let’s take a step back and explore why platinum is found in fuel cells and why it can be retrieved, even after a fuel cell has used up its life in a car, bus, truck or other vehicle.
Why Is Platinum Used in Hydrogen Fuel Cells?
It is used as a catalyst. Just to review, a catalyst is a chemical or substance that causes a change in another material.
Inside a hydrogen fuel cell, it works this way. Hydrogen (which is stored under pressure in a tank that is located in the vehicle) passes through the fuel cell’s platinum catalysts. That, in turn, causes electricity to be generated. That electricity is then used to power electric motors that move the vehicle. And what happens to the used hydrogen? After it has passed through the platinum catalysts, not much is left of it – just heat and water, which exit from the car.
Do the Platinum Catalysts Last Forever?
No, they don’t. As the catalytic process continues, minute quantities of platinum are removed from the internal structures inside the fuel cell. So over the course of years, enough platinum is lost to cause the fuel cell to stop functioning efficiently and, eventually, to stop working at all.
That only makes sense, because a catalyst is actually something that gives up some of its content to trigger another chemical reaction.
Once a Fuel Cell Needs to Be Replaced, Has It Lost All Its Value?
That’s a smart question to ask. But the answer might surprise you because even when an old fuel cell has lost its ability to function in a vehicle, it still contains enough platinum to be worth extracting. You can contact Specialty Metals at 800-426-2344 and we can explain how we do it.
To understand why a used fuel cell still contains platinum, think of a sputtering target, which is a disk that is used in electromagnetic, plasma plating processes in industry. Depending on what kind of plating is being done – gold, platinum, whatever – that metal exits the disk and is deposited on whatever items are being plated. Yet even after a sputtering target has lived out its useful life in plating, it still contains gold (or other metal) that can be extracted profitably.
Want to Learn More?
So there is your quick education about why fuel cells should be part of your long-term strategy for investing in precious metals.
Think about the future . . . think about fuel cells!
To learn more, call our precious metal recycling experts at 800-426-2344.