Refining

Precious Metal Products and Services
The many and varied uses of precious metals and their value create a need for recycling and refining. BASF operates refineries in Rome, Italy, Seneca, South Carolina and an auto catalyst processing plant in Lincoln Park, Michigan, USA.

This web-page describes just a few of the major products that are processed.

Automotive Catalyst Recycling
Automotive catalyst scrap includes both catalyst contained in catalytic converters as removed from passenger vehicles, and catalyst scrap that has been decanned from such converters prior to delivery for refining. Such materials can contain valuable quantities of platinum, palladium and rhodium that are recovered using very specialised processing techniques. As a refiner of used catalytic converters, Engelhard has responded to the special challenges presented by these materials by developing sophisticated processes to cost effectively recover and recycle the precious metals from automotive catalyst.

Sweepings
This category of scrap can include a very wide range of materials from a wide range of sources.
In general these materials require multi-stage processing in their pretreatment to refining. These processes would include combinations of burning, crushing, grinding and perhaps complex smelting.

Typical materials include platinum group residues, spent catalysts, scrap from the manufacture of multi-layer capacitors, electronic and decorative precious metal bearing inks or pastes, ceramics through to jewellers’ sweeps, polishing and coating, wipes and ashes or residues from the photographic industry.

Specialist Materials
The refining group has many developed processes for handling complex precious metal bearing scraps. Typical materials include silver micro batteries, solutions, organics and precious metals found in association with complex ceramics and/or complex metal mixes.

Metallic Scrap
This category of scrap can include a very wide range of materials from a wide range of sources. High grade materials may include platinum group bullion, redundant laboratory ware and thermocouples, gold bullion, miners' bars, jewellery (gold and silver), dental scrap and recoveries from the photographic industry. Low grade materials may include low grade workshop waste, manufacturing swarf, spent metal catalyst and electroplated metallic scrap. These materials may be sourced from banks, brokers, collectors, dealers and mining concerns as well as direct from industrial users such as the electroplating industry, jewellery and silverware industry, the dental industry and any other specialist industry using precious metals.

Processing and Analysis
The reputation of BASF for quick and accurate settlement rests very largely on its ability to optimize the recovery process. The efficiency of the refinery is determined by the degree with which it is capable of matching the specialized sampling and refining routes to the characteristics of the scrap. Every consignment makes different demands on the refiner. BASF pretreats each lot individually in isolation throughout its processing and through to its final specialized analysis determination.

BASF operates a state-of-the-art precious metal assay laboratory with a full range of wet chemistry and instrument capabilities. Customers can always expect independence, integrity and confidentiality from our precious metal analytical services.

Precious Metal Management and Marketing
Our position in the world commodity market makes it possible to arrange appropriate settlement terms to suit the customer's individual circumstances. Financial settlements can be made on fix, spot or forward prices. The proceeds of refining can be placed in a customer metal account for subsequent delivery at a future date for a manufacturing process. Fine metal can be made available for physical delivery loco London.

Summary
BASF develops and produces performance products, systems and services based on expertise in surface chemistry and materials science. Unique technologies are matched to market needs thereby delivering significant value to customers on a world-wide basis.

We have achieved Quality Standards ISO14001 for Environmental Systems and ISO 9001 for Management Systems.

Action
Contact BASF  for all your precious metal recovery and recycling requirements. We offer a flexible and time-tested refining service which can be tailored to meet the needs of individual customers.

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