Environmental Impact of Platinum Group Elements
Summary
Platinum group elements (PGEs), comprising platinum, palladium, rhodium and related metals, have become pervasive micro-contaminants due to their extensive use in automotive catalytic converters, chemical catalysts and various industrial processes. As vehicle fleets expand globally, abrasion and weathering of catalytic substrates release metallic nanoparticles and soluble ions into road dust, soils and aquatic systems. In urban environments, PGEs accumulate in dust and sediments, undergo chemical transformation and may be taken up by vegetation or enter water bodies via runoff. Their unique chemistry leads to a range of speciation states—dissolved complexes, nanoparticles and larger particulates—each with distinct mobility, bioavailability and ecotoxicological profiles. While concentrations in the environment remain ultra-trace, advances in analytical techniques have revealed their persistence, potential for bioaccumulation in terrestrial and aquatic food chains and emerging ecological effects. Understanding PGE pathways is critical for assessing human and ecosystem risks, guiding regulatory limits, improving recovery from waste streams and informing the design of next-generation catalysts with lower environmental footprints.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Environmental Impact of Platinum Group Elements publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in environmental impact of platinum group elements across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Catalytic converter: an automotive emission control device that uses PGE catalysts to oxidise and reduce exhaust pollutants.
Nanoparticulate fraction: particles with dimensions below 100 nm that often exhibit enhanced mobility and reactivity.
Microparticulate fraction: larger particles (typically >1 µm) that tend to settle out of air or water but can act as a long-term reservoir.
Bioaccumulation factor: the ratio of a substance’s concentration in an organism to that in the surrounding environment, indicating uptake potential.
Speciation: the distribution of an element among different chemical forms, which determines its solubility, mobility and toxicity.
References
- Distribution of Platinum and Palladium between Dissolved, Nanoparticulate, and Microparticulate Fractions of Road Dust. Molecules (2022).
- Implications of kinetically-hindered metals in ecotoxicological studies: Effect of platinum spike aging on its toxicity to Dunaliella salina. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety (2021).
- Cycling of Pt, Pd, and Rh Derived from Catalytic Converters: Potential Pathways and Biogeochemical Processes. Minerals (2022).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.