Palladium
Along with platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, and osmium, palladium is one of the six platinum group metals. As one of the leading companies in the precious metals industry, Heraeus processes palladium and palladium alloys in a wide range of products and diverse applications.
Approximately 70 percent of palladium is used as a component in catalysts. Palladium is particularly effective as a converter of unburned hydrocarbons, making it primarily used as a catalyst in gasoline and hybrid vehicles to convert nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons in automobile exhaust gases into less harmful substances.
Finely dispersed, palladium is an excellent catalyst for accelerating chemical reactions, especially in hydrogenation and dehydrogenation processes. Palladium is also used in electronics, dentistry, fuel cells, and many other fields. For example, in the jewelry industry, it is alloyed with gold to create white gold. Moreover, Heraeus manufactures plug contacts, switch contacts, diffusion barriers for low current contacts, and conductive pastes made of palladium.
Due to extensive expertise in the precious metal cycle, Heraeus also offers the processing of palladium-containing materials to its customers. Palladium used in products and applications can be recovered from melting or during precious metal recycling.
The comprehensive product portfolio of palladium-containing products and applications expands beyond the examples mentioned above. Therefore, please refer to the detailed information below on various products, services, and applications.
