Platinum producers have dismissed concerns that a new vehicle exhaust cleaner could have a negative impact on the pgm industry, the Business Times reports today (19th January).

Japanese automaker Mazda announced last week that it has developed a new autocatalyst - based on single nanocatalyst technology - which is capable of using 70 per cent less pgms.

However, Bob Gilmore, spokesman for Impala Platinum, the world's second-largest platinum producer, has refuted claims that demand for the metals will suffer as a result.

According to the news provider, he explained that the Mazda development is used in the second exhaust cleaner and as such does not require the same concentration of PGMs to function effectively.

Furthermore, he noted that cleaner emissions regulations being introduced in emerging auto markets China and India, as well as in several South American countries, would keep demand high.

Rather than posing a major problem, some PGM industry figures have noted that the new technology is simply an example of 'thrifting', a process aimed at reducing platinum use in exhaust catalysts.

As this practice has been in place for 15 to 20 years, the latest advances will not make any major impact on the overall pgm picture, they claim.

Sources:

Platinum's future gets a jolt (19/01/09)
http://www.thetimes.co.za/Business/BusinessTimes/Article1.aspx?id=919917

Thrifting of precious metals in autocatalysts (13/01/09)
http://www.platinum.matthey.com/media_room/11858024399050.html