As if the petroleum and petrochemical industries don’t already have enough to worry about… your company now has a full turn-around of a unit containing precious metals catalyst coming up and you have all of the above to contend with as well!

 

Many responsible parties around the world believe that the first decision to be made is whether it would be best to send the catalyst to a precious metals refiner or simply sell it outright by the kilo. However, selling the catalyst by the kilo is a huge risk, as brokers are offering 50 to 60% of the platinum group metals (PGM) value at best. One metric ton of platinum catalyst is currently valued at about $85K, so this is the equivalent of losing $34K to $43K on every metric ton. In addition, many countries enforce a Grandfather Clause regarding the liability of a corporation, meaning that if you sell your catalyst to a company that disposes of it improperly, your own company may remain responsible for any pollution fines, clean-up and lawsuits.

 

In fact, refining is the smart choice. Refining – even including international shipping and all costs – still returns a net average over 90% on petroleum catalysts’ true precious metals value. Choosing a responsible and reputable precious metals refiner minimizes your liability by insuring shipments from the point of possession, providing a certificate of destruction where required, and guaranteeing regulatory compliance.

 

In conclusion, make sure your precious metals end up with a responsible recycler, root out and eliminate the unethical and the wasteful, and forge global partnerships. Allow for fair margins, invest in research and development, and discard perceived limitations. Challenge what is ‘normal’. At Sabin, we believe that long-term wisdom and meaningful innovation is best for business and, as a result, best for society and mankind.