Video News/Green Rush

The industrial demand for iridium and ruthenium is outstripping mined supply, pushing the need for recycling, says Green Rush host Matt Watson. On April 24, Watson recorded an episode of Green Rush with Steven Hazelbaker, COO of Furuya Metals America, a PGM manufacturer and recycler. The topic was the platinum group metals - iridium and ruthenium - and the hydrogen economy. Watson kicked off the discussion with a chart showing that iridium and ruthenium represent a relatively small part of the PGM basket, around 11%. Iridium is worth USD$1.7 billion, and ruthenium is just over $1 billion, out of a total precious metals value of $395 billion. However, the two so-called "minor" PGM metals are essential to the hydrogen economy.