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How palladium can help tackle climate change and save billions
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The transition to clean energy is impossible without critical materials, and palladium is one of them. Today 80% of global demand for this metal comes from the automotive industry, where it is used to clean exhaust gases. But its potential extends far beyond that. Palladium can help reduce the cost of hydrogen energy, improve the efficiency of solar panels, replace gold in microelectronics, and make chemical production more environmentally friendly. Nornickel is the world’s leading palladium producer. How familiar are you with this metal’s properties and its role in future technologies?
Palladium (Pd) is a platinum-group metal, together with platinum (Pt), iridium (Ir), ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), and osmium (Os). These are noble metals valued for their rarity, attractive appearance, and corrosion resistance. Palladium is the lightest metal in this group and an excellent catalyst, which is why it is used in automotive catalytic converters and the chemical industry. It can also absorb up to 900 times its own volume of hydrogen and selectively allow hydrogen to pass through, a property used in membrane technologies.
What color is pure palladium?
Palladium is a silvery-white metal that resembles platinum. It does not rust or tarnish in air and retains its shine thanks to a protective oxide film. Like platinum, it is used in jewelry, but not in pure form; it is usually alloyed with silver, copper, or nickel to improve strength and shape retention.
What share of global palladium production does Nornickel account for?
Nornickel is the largest producer of palladium, with a 40% share of the global market. The company develops new palladium-based materials for high-tech industries such as microelectronics, hydrogen and solar energy, and green chemistry. Today, palladium from Nornickel is already used in every second car catalytic converter in the world, helping reduce toxic emissions and improve air quality for more than two billion people.
Nornickel is the largest producer of palladium, with a 40% share of the global market. The company develops new palladium-based materials for high-tech industries such as microelectronics, hydrogen and solar energy, and green chemistry. Today, palladium from Nornickel is already used in every second car catalytic converter in the world, helping reduce toxic emissions and improve air quality for more than two billion people.
What advantage does palladium offer in microelectronics compared with the gold traditionally used there?
The microelectronics industry is seeking ways to reduce costs, and palladium is an ideal replacement for gold because it is three times cheaper and almost twice as light. This brings not only economic savings but also environmental benefits, since it produces less toxic waste. Palladium also makes extremely thin coatings possible, which fits the trend toward miniaturization.
These anodes are designed to produce sodium hypochlorite, which is used in water treatment as a disinfecting reagent. The palladium oxide in the coating improves the selectivity of active chlorine formation and increases electrode corrosion resistance, extending anode service life. Nornickel and Ecofes created a palladium-based anode that proved 20% more energy efficient and 15% cheaper than traditional solutions.
In OLED displays used in smartphones, televisions, and other electronic devices, palladium can replace rare and expensive iridium, helping reduce production costs. The relevant technologies are already being developed at Nornickel ’s Palladium Technologies Center.
Palladium is a metal with character — get to know it better
Don’t be discouraged! The energy transition is complex, but you’ve already taken the first step. Explore Nornickel’s innovation section — it’s full of fascinating facts about how palladium is helping shape the future. Try the quiz again, and you may be pleasantly surprised by the result.
You know the main palladium trends
You already write well about how palladium helps make green technologies more affordable and efficient. With a little more effort, you could become an ambassador for this metal in your field. Take a look at Nornickel’s successful cases, and you’ll have expert opinions to support your perspective.
You are a palladium expert
You know almost everything about palladium: from Norilsk Nickel’s market share to hydrogen membranes. It looks like you’re already ready to head a palladium technology center or at least give a lecture on energy-transition metals. Bravo!