Automotive Parts

Why are there precious metals in a catalytic converter?

Catalytic converters are part of the exhaust system that passes the gas from your engine over catalysts. The catalyst converts dangerous molecules like carbon monoxide, into safe molecules like carbon dioxide. 

This process does not cause a change in the catalyst materials like palladium. This is why, along with the number of recyclable materials, catalytic converters are valuable to scrap metal recyclers.

How do I know I will be getting the best price?

Not knowing what your Catalytic converter is worth can make you uncertain if you're getting a fair deal, or being ripped off. 

Catalytic converters mostly all have a serial or part number and belong to a category. For example, there are Small Foreign, Medium Foreign, and Large Foreign converters, and each one will have a different daily spot price based on the amount of precious metals inside them.

Empire Metals uses the daily market price on every item we recycle, so you can be sure you are getting the best deal.

Once you have become a regular customer of ours we offer a grade by picture process, where you send the picture of the converter to us and get an on the spot price for it.

Can you recycle diesel particulate filter (DPF) catalytic converters? 

Yes, we recycle diesel particulate filters. Diesel particulate filters have some differences to gasoline engine converters. As diesel releases different exhaust gases, particles and burns colder. 

This leads to diesel catalytic converters having different needs for removing diesel particulate matter from the emissions to reduce how much makes it out of the converter.

Those differences however do not change the fact that the precious metals inside the converters can, and should be recycled.