/ Premise
Material that looks like waste may carry value.
Every day in Brazilian industrial plants, material classified as dirt, hazardous residue or generic scrap is discarded — material that could yield more if it passed through screening before the dumpster. It is not a rule: some lots truly carry no value. Others surprise. The right question is "is it worth testing first?" — and the answer is almost always yes, because preliminary screening costs very little.
/ Worth testing
Frequent categories of potentially valuable material
Process black powder
Collected in cyclones, baghouse, condensers. May carry Pt, Pd or Rh at relevant grade.
Filter cake
Solid recovered from press-filter after catalytic reaction. Concentrates the metal catalyst of the batch.
Chemical filters
Saturated cartridges, mats and elements after PGM-bearing processes.
Pharmaceutical filters
Pd/C, Pt/C, Ru/C, Rh/C hydrogenation — saturated filter retains the catalyst.
Industrial catalysts
Refining, petrochemicals, fine chemistry, fertilisers. Possible Pt, Pd, Ni, Mo, V, Co, W, Re.
Petrochemical catalysts
Reforming, isomerisation, FCC, hydrotreating.
Process sludge
Dark sludge accumulated during maintenance. Often with recoverable metallic fraction.
Saturated cartridges
High-performance filters after pharma and fine-chemistry use.
Maintenance residues
From plant turnaround, decommissioning, bed change-out.
Selective e-waste
Boards with gold contacts, connectors, telecom/datacenter lots.
/ How CATPRO helps
From preliminary screening to commercial decision
- Photo screening — Initial review from images + origin context. No charge, no travel.
- In-house XRF — Immediate technical read on received sample or in the field, depending on matrix.
- Protocol-based sampling — Documented collection with chain of custody from lot to laboratory.
- Lab coordination — ICP-MS, ICP-OES and fire assay at qualified partner laboratories when the lot warrants extra precision.
- Direct purchase or intermediation — Direct purchase of the rich fraction, intermediation toward a specialised refiner, or guidance to proceed with your own channel.
- Bilingual report — For larger operations, a PT/EN report with photos, weights, readings and assay.
/ FAQ — before disposal
Frequently asked questions
How do I know whether screening before disposal is worth it?
It is worth it when the material comes from a process that used or uses metal catalyst (Pd/C, Pt/C, Ru/C, Rh/C, Pt/Rh gauzes), from filtration in a plant with PGM somewhere upstream, or when the lot has been stockpiled long enough that potential value can exceed the regulated disposal cost. If you do not know, send a photo and context — initial screening is at no cost.
What can be said from a photo alone?
In many cases initial screening based on photos + origin context already indicates whether technical analysis is worthwhile. In others we ask for a sample or visit. A photo does not replace assay, but it eliminates material that clearly does not justify cost.
Do you buy these materials or only analyse?
It depends. In some categories we buy directly. In others we intermediate toward a specialised recycler or refiner. In others we only run the analysis and you proceed on your own. We decide together along the way.
Is there a fee for analysis?
Preliminary screening from photos and context: no charge. In-house XRF on a received sample: no charge during screening. Confirmatory assay (ICP-MS, ICP-OES, fire assay) at a partner laboratory: quoted per sample before commissioning; payment protocol depends on lot size and commercial decision.
Can material already disposed be recovered?
Depends on how it was disposed. If it went to licensed disposal and is still with the waste-management company, in some cases the process can be paused. If it was incinerated, landfilled or mixed with other lots at industrial scale, the opportunity is usually lost. That is why "before disposal" — afterwards is too late.
Which materials are NOT worth submitting?
Generic metallic scrap with no PGM/Au/Ag fraction (isolated iron, aluminium, brass); residues with regulatory risk outside our scope (radiation, biological contamination); very small unidentified volumes. When in doubt, send a photo — within minutes we will say if it is worth it.
/ Submit for review
Preliminary screening — no charge during screening
Got several photos? Send them on WhatsApp
If possible, send photos of the material, label, packaging, origin, approximate weight and any existing assay. You may use the form below (with a Drive/OneDrive/Dropbox/WeTransfer link) or send everything directly on WhatsApp.
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