Environmental Fate of Traffic-Derived Platinum Group Metals

Abstract

Subsequently introduced standards on exhaust gas emissions determine the development of motorization industry as well as stimulate the search for new environmentally friendly solutions for road transport. One of such pro-environmental solutions, directed toward reducing emissions of toxic exhaust components, has been a project concerning application of catalytic exhaust gas converters in mechanical vehicles which contained platinum group metals (PGM). Despite undeniable benefits, application of PGM in gas converters is not a perfect solution because of the possible emission of these metals to the environment with exhausts. Presently the problem of increasing PGM content in the environment is the subject of interest of numerous research institute workers all over the world. Results of PGM determinations can form an exit point to run environmental impact assessment of road transport because most of PGM present in the environment comes from vehicle exhaust gas converters. Taking under consideration all of the above, there is a necessity of running wide studies to monitor concentration levels of this polluting group in biological and environmental samples.

Keywords:

• Anthropogenic emission
• catalysts
• platinum group elements
• environment

Notes

*H₂O describes distilled or demineralized water

**Artificial (synthetic) rain contained the same ions that are present in natural rain water

¹Concentration in ng/g

²Average concentration

¹ng/m

*n- donors number

¹ mean value

² median

³ maximal value

⁴ ng/g^{− 1} of creatinine