BASF Metals Recycling Opens Precious Metals Recycling Plant in UK

BASF Metals Recycling Ltd. has opened a new recycling facility in Cinderford, U.K., that will target the recovery of precious metals from various industrial scrap materials.

A range of materials with recoverable metal content – primarily used automotive catalytic converters and electronic scrap – will be processed at the company’s new 56,000-square-foot facility. BASF expects to end up with a significant amount of platinum, palladium and rhodium through its recycling process. In addition, the facility will house an analytical services laboratory to ensure accurate measurement of precious metals content for its customers.

The new facility was built near BASF’s existing metals recycling plant in Cinderford, which had previously operated under the name Engelhard Sales Ltd. The company has expanded its operations to include the new operating site, more than doubling BASF’s local manufacturing footprint and production capacity.

“Through this investment, we are making a strong commitment to the Cinderford region, which will now serve as the hub of our European metals recycling operations,” says Deon Carter, senior vice president, Precious Metals Services, part of BASF’s global catalysts division. “The precious metals recovered here will allow us to support BASF and other customers who are seeking a highly sustainable source of quality metals to support their production needs.”

“Our new operation in Cinderford significantly expands our commitment to the environmentally responsible re-use of the world’s limited precious metals,” says Henrik Junicke, BASF’s vice president of global refining, salts and solutions. “While there is significant variation in metal content sourced from different scrap feeds, our expert staff and advanced sampling and analysis techniques allow us to provide highly accurate results for platinum, palladium and rhodium content.”

Further information on BASF’s Catalysts division is available on the Internet at www.catalysts.basf.com.

(Pictured from left to right are: John Setchfield (Site Manager, BASF Metals Recycling Limited), Deon Carter (Senior Vice President BASF Precious Metals Services), Dr Henrik Junicke (BASF's Vice President of Global Refining, Salts and Solutions), Mark Hawthorne (Leader of Gloucestershire County Council), Norman Stephens (Chairman of Forest of Dean District Council), and Graham Morgan (Chairman of Cinderford Town Council).)