Catalytic Converter and Oxygen sensor missing from minivan as it was recently stolen (stock photo)
Last August, the New York Post reported that across the five boroughs of New York, 5,548 catalytic converters had been stolen before the end of the summer – up almost 300% from previous years. That prompted a Brooklyn council official to propose a City Council bill that would force a better paper trail on sellers of these devices. That bill would be in addition to a previous bill approved by the state Legislature “to impose restrictions on the purchase, sale, and possession of catalytic converters by vehicle dismantlers, scrap processors, and others.” The Catalytic Converter Theft Prevention Legislation was signed into law in October.
In May, the governor of Connecticut signed into law Public Act 22-43, which enacts several new requirements to how motor vehicle recyclers, scrap metal processors, junk dealers, junk yard owners and operators, and motor vehicle repair shops receive and sell catalytic converters. Under the legislation that was signed today, it will now be illegal for motor vehicle recyclers to receive a vehicle’s catalytic converter unless it is physically attached to a motor vehicle. In addition, recyclers must affix or write a stock number on the part, and create a written record of the transaction, including the name, address, telephone number, license number, and automobile VIN number of the customer.
The Maine Legislature passed a new law, signed by Gov. Janet Mills in April, to strengthen chain of custody requirements and discourage these thefts. Recyclers removing catalytic converters for final disposal or deconstruction must mark the catalytic converter with the recycler’s license number and maintain a record of the catalytic converter and the method by which it was disposed.
Just this past January, in one of his last official acts in office, the Massachusetts governor signed a bill designed to curb the theft of catalytic converters by regulating the purchase of the automobile parts by scrap metal dealers. The Insurance Journal article reported that scrap metal buyers must now require proof of identification and a bill of sale or other document indicating ownership from sellers. The new law further requires buyers to keep records of all catalytic converter sales including the name, address and license plate number of sellers.
Why has there been a sudden flood of laws introduced? Thieves selling to scrap metal yards can get up anywhere from $250 to over $1,000 for catalytic converters, depending on the type of car ( more money for the part from hybrid vehicles). Because that is a nice enticement for criminals, insurance companies have reported tens of thousands of catalytic converters theft claims.
The US Department of Justice announced in November that it carried out an operation arresting 21 defendants and executing 32 search warrants in a nation-wide takedown of a multimillion-dollar catalytic converter theft network. The arrests, searches, and seizures took place in California, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, and Virginia.
We’ve written in the past about our concerns with scrap metal theft, especially stolen catalytic converters. Catalytic converters – which contain precious metals — appeal to thieves because, before these laws were put in place, they generally cannot be traced back to a particular vehicle. It’s a double concern to scrap metal recyclers – they don’t want them stolen from their yard, and they don’t want to accept them if they are stolen.
If the part is not stolen, and a scrap recycling company does accept it, the recycling company should confirm the precious metals. The catalyst component of a catalytic converter is usually platinum (Pt), along with palladium (Pd), and rhodium (Rh).
Determining the recovery value of these three platinum group metals, or PGMs, in a catalytic converter begins with knowing the composition and ratios of the metals used. As we noted in a previous article, automotive catalyst material is made either of a ceramic substrate, mostly cordierite coated with a precious metal containing a wash coat, or of a metallic substrate with an aluminum oxide wash coat also containing precious metals. The average concentration and the ratio of Pt and Rh were more or less constant 20 years ago, so a simple weighting was sufficient to arrive at a good estimation of the precious metal content. However, the price of these three elements has fluctuated strongly over the last 20 years, depending on the supply, demand, and speculation. These variations, as well as the tightening of emission legislation, have had a direct correlation on the composition of the catalysts, which themselves have had a strong influence on demand.
Currently, the composition, which depends on the engine displacement and the type of fuel used, varies dramatically. The formulation can consist of only Pt, or various ratios of Pt-Pd-Rh, Pt-Rh, and Pd-Rh. Most of today’s recycled catalytic converters come from cars manufactured, on average, 10 to 15 years ago. The recoverable amounts of Pt, Pd, and Rh in each can range from 1-2 grams for a small car to 12-15 grams for a big truck in the US.
The materials in question can be pulverized and placed in a sample cup and then analyzed using x-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology.
XRF is a non-destructive analytical technique used to determine the elemental composition of materials. Handheld XRF analyzers work by measuring the fluorescent (or secondary) X-rays emitted from a sample when excited by a primary X-ray source. Each of the elements present in a sample produces a set of characteristic fluorescent X-rays, or “unique fingerprints”. These “fingerprints” are distinct for each element, making handheld XRF analysis an excellent tool for quantitative and qualitative measurements.
Handheld XRF analyzers used in scrap metal recycling can verify elements of interest in virtually all types of metal alloys, from trace levels to commercially pure metals, and are capable of distinguishing alloy grades that are nearly identical in composition to one another. LIBS analyzers are more suited for carbon analysis of metals and alloys.
With new laws in place, one might wonder if a new scam will rise to the surface where thieves try to scrap catalytic converters that have been stripped of their PGMs and replaced with non-precious metals? If they do, technology will be a help in discovering it.
- Additional resources for scrap metal recycling operations
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