Sustainability and environmental protection are generally high on the agenda of the JentnerGroup from Pforzheim. This applies not only to the contract electroplating division of C. Jentner GmbH, but also to Jentner Plating Technology GmbH, which specializes in the manufacture and sale of electroplating electrolytes and small electroplating equipment. Their latest product, Rhodium CLEAN, is an electrolyte that contains recycled rhodium from used baths. The process used here was developed in-house. The result is reusable electrolytes of the same quality as new products.
"Rhodium is simply indispensable in electroplating, but as the most precious metal, it is extremely difficult to obtain. However, recycling is not only important in terms of economic efficiency. The environment also benefits significantly, considering the pollution associated with new mining," says Revin Shangula, Laboratory Manager at the JentnerGroup. "In this respect, every gram of rhodium recovered is a complete success in more ways than one."
The intention to recover rhodium using a new process dates back to October 2021. This was implemented from scratch by Revin Shangula and has been successfully used in live operation for several months. The used bath, which arrives either from the company's own customers or third-party companies, is first analyzed for the content of rhodium and foreign metals, after which the individual procedure for the chemical process is determined. Depending on the results of the analysis, the rhodium content and foreign metals may first be separated or a new electrolyte may be produced directly. In both cases, the rhodium is returned to the material flow free of any base metals.
Background: Rhodium electrolytes are no longer usable after frequent use with poor quality characteristics. This applies, for example, if too many foreign metals are contained, the acid content has increased or the separation value is no longer sufficient.
