Life cycle inventory assessment of smelting process of Platinum Group Metals at the Anglo American Platinum Ltd, South Africa

Platinum group metals are acknowledged for their contribution to the reduction of environmental damage thanks to technological innovations. A growing demand on PGM is expected to contribute to the supply of clean and renewable energy using systems such as hydrogen fuel cell technology. The credits to PGM are of no doubt, yet some environmental concerns in PGM recovery process are reported with a massive harmful SO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Life cycle analysis of emissions from the smelter section of PGM recovery was therefore develop and equivalent carbon dioxide emissions were quantified. For one metric ton of ore milled, a total amount of equivalent carbon dioxide of about 2,084.72kgCO2-eq was associated with the smelting process. SO2 was revealed not to be the most important emission. In an annual initiative, smelter can process up to 36,547 million metric tons of ore milled accounting for 76,163,948,000 kg CO2-eq. The section of the smelter showed emissions to water and emissions to soil mainly. Significant air emissions are identified as Sulphur dioxide (SO2) efflux in the plant