Determination of platinum group elements in catalysts recycling products by SEM with energy dispersive spectrometer

Abstract

Analysis of platinum group elements (PGE) extracted from various catalysts used in the car, petroleum and chemical industries requires use of microanalytical methods. PGE content in the platinum powder concentrates K176 and K177 was studied by SEM-EDS. The content of main elements was determined using analytical lines Fe Kα1, Si Kα1, Sn Lα1, Pt Lα1, Re Lα1. The obtained data for the chemical composition are in good agreement with the result obtained by X‑ray fluorescence analysis and ICP-MS method. Powdered platinum concentrates are considered to be ferrosilicide (FeSi), where PGE are localized at the phase boundaries and in separate patches of the K176 sample, or distributed over the volume of particles in the K177 sample.