Chemical engineering researchers awarded over 1M in funding to advance the recycling of precious group metals.

Hydrogen technologies, such as hydrogen fuel cells and water electrolyzers, are expected to play a pivotal role in the upcoming energy transition. However, these promising technologies rely on precious group metals (PGM), which are increasingly scarce and costly to obtain. To help enable a cleaner future, chemical engineering professor Chung Lee is rethinking how PGMs can be obtained through an exciting new research project. 

For decades, PGMs have been used in everyday technologies, such as catalytic converters in internal combustion engine-based cars. When these components reach the end of life, historically they are destroyed through various methods, which are detrimental to the environment. High levels of carbon dioxide emissions and toxic waste are often the result of these practices. Lee, alongside fellow Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) chemical engineering professors, Nariman Yousefi and Dae Kun Hwang, aim to develop environmentally friendly and cost-effective recycling solutions for PGMs through electrochemical methods. 

The team will explore multiple possible routes of PGM intake and develop customized strategies to convert them into catalyst precursors, catalyst particles, or electrodes. Collaborating with industry partners, S3R Co. and Daeheung M&T Co., the team will also design scalable approaches for manufacturing recycled electrodes. Lee said, “It’s exciting to take PGMs that were used in the past generation of vehicles to power future energy-efficient technologies.” 

With the project receiving 1.08M in funding over five years thanks to the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT)-Mitacs Accelerate International Award, Lee notes the future is bright. “This funding will not only support equipment but it will also enable us to train the next generation of researchers who can lead the transition into a clean circular economy of precious group metals for hydrogen technology applications,” Lee said. 

Research at the Faculty of Engineering & Architectural Science (FEAS)

To work with FEAS researchers or partner with our labs and centres, email rio@torontomu.ca.