Iridium and palladium: their industrial uses and recycling

Iridium and palladium are less well known than gold or platinum, however it plays a key role in automotive industries, aerospace, medical equipment and jewelry production. As also with precious metal labware, the high costs and limited availability of these resources make it important to recycle iridium and palladium.

Industrial applications

Iridium, one of the densest metals on Earth, is corrosion resistant and stable at high temperatures. Iridium sheets are used to make crucibles for crystal growth, aerospace igniters, automotive spark plugs, and medical discs. These discs are employed in irradiation procedures and X-ray equipment due to iridium’s radiation-resistant properties.

Palladium is known for its exceptional ability to absorb hydrogen, making the foil invaluable in various applications such as hydrogen diffusion, medical devices, ceramic capacitors, and as catalysts in numerous chemical reactions.

Both iridium and palladium wires find use in an array of applications. While iridium wires are used in the automotive industry, temperature detection, and medical devices, palladium wires are integral to medical equipment, spark plugs, sensors, and electrodes.

Both metals are also used to produce ribbon and tubes. Iridium ribbons are used in high-pressure applications and palladium tubes are used in medical equipment, hydrogen diffusion, and jewelry manufacture.

Recycling iridium and palladium

IAM Drijfhout a long-term supplier and we have years of experience with our precious metal recycling service. Extracting the iridium and palladium from used products makes excellent economic and environmental sense especially given the current prices for precious metals.

Get in touch with us

We look forward to you contacting us with any questions you may have about recycling or using iridium and palladium. We would like to tell you more about our products and the recycling process.