The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Metal Tech News - June 16, 2025
The solvometallurgical solution developed by pH7 Technologies significantly reduces the environmental and energy costs of recycling PGMS.
Platinum group metals recovered with ph7 Technologies' proprietary solution.
Vancouver, British Columbia-based pH7 Technologies has taken a major step toward commercializing a breakthrough technology that significantly reduces the environmental and energy costs of recovering platinum group metals (PGMs) from end-of-life catalytic converters that scrub harmful emissions from exhaust.
On July 16, the critical and precious metals extractions startup announced that it has recovered more than 3,000 ounces of platinum-equivalent (which includes the value of palladium and other metals) from over 250 metric tons of end-of-life material processed at its commercial facility in Vancouver.
Platinum group metals recovered with ph7 Technologies' proprietary solution.
Using a proprietary solvometallurgical process that produces zero liquid waste and emits nearly no carbon dioxide, pH7 has demonstrated a lower-impact alternative to the traditional mining and smelting of PGMs – metals critical to cleaning automotive emissions and producing hydrogen for clean energy.
"This accomplishment confirms that our platform is not just theoretically scalable – it's operating at scale, delivering real-world production, tangible environmental impact, and significant commercial value," said pH7 Technologies CEO Mohammad Doostmohammadi.
Compared to conventional recovery methods, pH7's process has prevented roughly 2,800 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, conserved 27 million liters of water – equivalent to 11 Olympic-sized swimming pools – and cut energy use by 14,000 megawatt-hours, enough to power 1,300 average Canadian homes for a year.
The PGMs recovered through this cleaner method are needed not only for use in emissions control systems but also as catalysts in hydrogen production, electronics, and advanced medical devices.
"We're proud to contribute to securing a sustainable critical metals supply chain while reducing the environmental toll of conventional extraction methods," Doostmohammadi said.
The Vancouver plant currently has the capacity to process 1,200 metric tons of recycled materials annually. To meet growing demand for more sustainable sources of PGMs, pH7 is advancing plans to scale capacity to 25,000 metric tons per year through a network of globally distributed facilities.
Beyond PGMs, pH7's proprietary solution can be used to recycle precious and critical minerals from e-waste, as well as enhance the sustainability and effectiveness of recovering copper and gold at heap leach mining operations.
As the automotive, clean energy, and electronics industries pursue greener supply chains, pH7 is engaging with partners to integrate its technology into environmentally superior sourcing strategies.
"We invite forward-thinking partners to join us as we scale this proven technology to meet growing market demand for metals without compromise," the pH7 founder and CEO added.
With more than 17 years of covering mining, Shane is renowned for his insights and in-depth analysis of mining, mineral exploration, and technology metals.
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