IP Library Granted Patent US 12,390,798
Granted Patent B2
US 12,390,798 · App. 17/250,228 · Granted Aug 19, 2025

Precious metal catalyst briquettes, process for the manufacture and for the inceneration thereof

Inventors: Bin Zhang (Jiangsu, CN); Zhengquan Hu (Shanghai, CN); Cunfei Fan (Sichuan, CN); Wengang Li (Jiangsu, CN); Gangfeng Liu (Shanghai, CN); Christian Mock (Hanau, DE); Bernhard Bauer-Siebenlist (Aschaffenburg, DE)
Assignees: HERAEUS PRECIOUS METALS GMBH & CO. KG; HERAEUS PRECIOUS METAL TECHNOLOGY (CHINA) CO., LTD.
B01J23/96B01J38/02
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,390,798
App. No.
17/250,228
Granted
Aug 19, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A process for the incineration of precious metal catalyst briquettes, wherein the precious metal catalyst briquettes comprise precious metal catalyst, optionally water, and, also optionally, binder.

Claims (44)

1. A process for the incineration of precious metal catalyst briquettes comprising incinerating precious metal catalyst briquettes under supply of an oxidizing gas, wherein the precious metal catalyst briquettes comprise:

a precious metal catalyst comprising at least one precious metal loaded on an at least partly combustible support,

a binder comprising:

a water-dilutable or water-soluble organic material, and

one or more additives comprising one or more mineral fillers, and

optionally, water.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the precious metal catalyst briquettes comprise:

50-98 wt. % of the precious metal catalyst, 2-50 wt. % of water and up to 20 wt. % of the binder,

wherein all amounts in wt. % are based on the total weight of the precious metal catalyst briquettes.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the precious metal catalyst briquettes are in a form selected from the group consisting of a honeycomb, a cylinder, a cone, a sphere, a half-sphere, a prolate-spheroid, a pyramid, an oval and a torus shape.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the at least one precious metal is selected from the group consisting of copper (Cu), gold (Au), silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), ruthenium (Ru), osmium (Os) and Rhenium (Re).

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the at least partly combustible support is a carbonaceous-base material.

6. The process of claim 5 , wherein the carbonaceous-base material is an activated carbon.

7. The process of claim 6 , wherein the activated carbon is derived from coal, wood, fruit shells, coconut shells, walnut shells, apricot shells and/or date shells.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the precious metal catalyst is a spent activated carbon-supported precious metal catalyst.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the one or more mineral fillers are selected from the group consisting of montmorillonite, hectorite, saponite, serpentine, bentonite, kaolin, sepiolite, chlorite, attapulgite, palygorskite, bauxite, borax and mixtures thereof.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the water-dilutable or water-soluble organic material is selected from the group consisting of modified starch, cellulose, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohols, acrylate polymers, epoxide polymers, polyvinyl acetal and mixtures thereof.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein the supply of the oxidizing gas in the range of 1000-2000 NM3/hour per 500 kg of precious metal catalyst briquettes.

12. The process of claim 11 , wherein the oxidizing gas is air or an oxygen-enriched air with an oxygen content of up to 30 vol. %.

13. The process of claim 1 , wherein the incineration process is performed at an incineration temperature in the range of 600 to 1200° C.

14. The process of claim 1 , wherein the at least one precious metal is selected from the group consisting of gold (Au), silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt) and rhodium (Rh).

15. The process of claim 1 , wherein the incineration process is performed at an incineration temperature in the range of 650 to 900° C.

16. The process of claim 1 , wherein the precious metal catalyst briquettes comprise water.

17. The process of claim 1 , wherein the precious metal catalyst briquettes are prepared by a process comprising:

(a) forming a precious metal catalyst powder from a precious metal catalyst;

(b) mixing 50-98 wt. % of the precious metal catalyst powder with 2-50 wt. % of water and, a binder in an amount of up to 20 wt % to form a mixture, wherein all amounts in wt. % are based on the total weight of the precious metal catalyst briquette,

(c) processing the mixture obtained in step (b) in a mold under a pressure of 200 KPa-1200 KPa to obtain precious metal catalyst briquettes;

(d) removing the briquettes obtained in step (c) from said mold, and, optionally,

(e) partially or completely drying the precious metal catalyst briquettes to remove water.

18. The process of claim 1 , wherein the one or more mineral fillers are selected from the group consisting of montmorillonite, bentonite, kaolin, attapulgite, borax and mixtures thereof.

19. A precious metal catalyst briquette comprising:

at least one precious metal catalyst,

a binder comprising:

a water-dilutable or water-soluble organic material, and

one or more additives comprising one or more mineral fillers, and

optionally water,

wherein the precious metal catalyst comprises at least one precious metal loaded on an at least partly combustible support, and wherein the at least one precious metal is selected from the group consisting of copper (Cu), gold (Au), silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), ruthenium (Ru), osmium (Os) and Rhenium (Re).

20. A process for the manufacture of the precious metal catalyst briquette of claim 19 , said process comprising the steps of:

(a) crushing a precious metal catalyst to obtain a precious metal catalyst powder;

(b) mixing 50-98 wt. % of the precious metal catalyst powder with 2-50 wt. % of water and up to 20 wt. % of the binder to form a mixture, wherein all amounts in wt. % are based on the total weight of the precious metal catalyst briquette,

(c) processing the mixture obtained in step (b) in a mold under a pressure of 200 KPa-1200 KPa to obtain precious metal catalyst briquettes;

(d) removing the briquettes obtained in step (c) from said mold, and, optionally,

(e) partially or completely drying the precious metal catalyst briquettes to remove water.

21. The process of claim 1 , wherein the precious metal catalyst briquettes are in a form selected from the group consisting of a honeycomb, a cylinder, a sphere and a half-sphere.

Assignments (4)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 7, 2023
From: HERAEUS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH & CO KG
To: HERAEUS PRECIOUS METALS GMBH & CO. KG.
Reel/Frame 065799/0368 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 20, 2023
From: MOCK, CHRISTIAN; BAUER-SIEBENLIST, BERNHARD
To: HERAEUS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH & CO. KG
Reel/Frame 064969/0985 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 20, 2023
From: ZHANG, BIN; FAN, CUNFEI; LI, WENGANG; LIU, GANGFENG
To: HERAEUS PRECIOUS METAL TECHNOLOGY (CHINA) CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 064970/0157 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 14, 2021
From: HERAEUS MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY SHANGHAI LTD.
To: HERAEUS PRECIOUS METAL TECHNOLOGY (CHINA) CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 054927/0532 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210362133A1 · Nov 25, 2021
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