Cited on HN 7 times, 2018–2024, never outright recommendedscore 0
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
HN commenters cite it as a vivid demonstration that roadside and tire/pavement dust contains recoverable platinum.
Cody's Lab collects a sample of dust from the side of a highway and refines it to recover platinum-group metals deposited by catalytic converters. The video walks through the chemistry of separating and assaying the precious metals.
“We can literally sweep platinum off our highways, as Cody'sLab demonstrates[0].” (HN, 2018)
We can literally sweep platinum off our highways, as Cody'sLab demonstrates[0]. Platinum is a catalyst in auto mufflers to change NOx molecules back to N2 and CO2. And a tiny amount flakes off as a gas-car drives. Sweeping a 10-foot section of heavily-used freeway shoulder netted them $0.55 of platinum. At this rate, there should be $1000 of platinum per mile of freeway shoulder. [0] [this video]
Cody's Lab did an episode where he collected and refined freeway dust: it's actually decent grade platinum 'ore' from catalytic converter deposition [this video]
Roads are filthy. Cody's Lab once did a video where he collected road dust from the side of a highway, and refined out all the precious metals from it. That's from one small section of highway, just imagine the scale of the pollution across the whole of the states. Concrete dust, rubber, metals, fuel, oil. Cars and car infrastructure is dirty business. [this video]
Refining precious metals from highway roadside dust
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