Industrial Precious Metal Recycling
Industrial Precious Metal Recycling
Every month we receive hundreds of phone and email questions about DPF and DOC recycling. Here are answers to some of the most common questions. In addition, you might review our Ultimate Guide to DPF Recycling.
YES. In a letter written directly to Red Fox Resources from the California Air Resources Board on October 6, 2015, the Chief of the Emissions Compliance, Automotive Regulations and Science Division, expresses in writing that the practice of selling a used DPF or DOC for the purpose of recycling DPFs is allowed. Download a copy of the CARB letter here.
NO. According to Title 13, CCR, Section 2706, “No party shall advertise, sell, lease, or offer for sale or lease, a used verified diesel emission control strategy.” It is, therefore, illegal to sell a used DOC or DPF. Quoting from the California Air Resources Board’s website, “It is never legal to install a USED filter, your vehicle WILL NOT be in compliance.”
It is not recommended to landfill spent DOCs or DPFs. Both DOCs and DPFs may contain hazardous waste, primarily in the form of zinc from lubricating oil. Contact Red Fox for information on determining if your DPFs and DOCs need to be treated as hazardous waste. Additionally, by landfilling your spent parts you could be throwing money away as many DPFs and DOCs have a recycle value. Red Fox Resources does not landfill any collected materials.
The California Air Resources Board has come out and said that spent DPFs and DOCs should never be thrown away.
Red Fox Resources will collect and recycle your parts using compliant practices and pay you if they have residual PGM value.
Nothing. In fact, your used DOCs and DPFs may contain precious metals that can be recovered and reused. Red Fox will pay you for your used DOCs and DPFs. Rates vary depending on the part make, model, and size. Read more about prices paid for recycled DPFs and DOCs.
Rates vary based on part make, model, size as well as the market price of Platinum Group Metals (PGM). Generally, parts containing residual PGM can be worth $20 – $900. Contact Red Fox Resources to get values for individual parts. Read more about prices paid for scrap DPFs and DOCs.
Red Fox will pay you for your parts within 15 days of receiving your parts. Checks sent from Red Fox expire in 90 days.
YES. We understand core exchange programs. However, many times, OEM core acceptance policies do not apply to damaged DPF and DOC cores. Red Fox accepts all spent emission parts regardless of condition. Also, OEM core programs may be uneconomical, and recycling can provide you with a higher value (with less headache) than an OEM core exchange program. For those cases, recycling with Red Fox is your solution.
YES. Red Fox will pay the shipping costs and handle all the logistics of getting your parts to us. Unfortunately, due to the economics of shipping, we cannot work with individual, single-unit owners. Note, free shipping requires a minimum of 15 DPFs/DOCs per shipment. [Watch video on DPF packing process] If you have a local dealer, owner’s group, or owner’s club to pool shipments, we’d be very interested in discussing our recycling program. Please give us a call!
DPF and DOC parts collected by Red Fox Resources are typically recycled and not resold. When Red Fox purchases a part for recycling, the substrate material is removed from the can, pulverized, and smelted to recover any PGM. The remaining steel can is recycled through a metal recycler. No materials collected by Red Fox are sent to the landfill.
Each manufacturer imprints the part number in a unique location on the DPF or DOC and some manufacturers tack weld a data tag to the part that would contain the DPF. Many times, there are multiple part numbers listed on a single part along with a serial number. For generating a recycling price estimate, the serial number is irrelevant and what Red Fox is looking for would be any of the part numbers listed. Usually the part numbers would follow the acronyms CPN or EPN. For a more detailed explanation of how to find part numbers, see our DPF part number explainer video on Youtube or our blog post on this topic.
Red Fox makes payments via company check or electronically using ACH or wire transfers. For compliance reasons, we do NOT make any cash payments. Checks issued by Red Fox expire in 90 days. See our Getting Started page for more information.
NO. Red Fox only issues payment via company check, ACH, or wire transfer to ensure proper transaction documentation. Checks issued by Red Fox expire in 90 days.
It’s very simple. Watch our 2-minute video and you’ll be good to go!
No. SCR systems are generally coated in copper zeolite and not platinum group metals, so there is little recycling value. Our recommendation is to process SCR systems with your standard scrap metal.
No. “DPF Delete Kits” are illegal, and Red Fox does not buy back parts from deleting the OEM emission control system. Furthermore, Red Fox works only with companies with 15 or more parts per shipment.
Our track record of working with industry leaders in the truck, bus, and heavy equipment space speaks for itself. Brands like Volvo, Mack, and Paccar have worked with Red Fox because we offer a professional solution for managing their platinum group metals (PGM) bearing waste. Learn more about Red Fox customers here.
Because of shipping costs, we cannot set up shipments for loads of less than 15 parts (e.g., DPFs, DOCs, etc.).
Yes. We recycle DPFs and DOCs from heavy-duty trucks as well as those from medium-duty and light-duty trucks. However, we require at least 15 parts per shipment or transaction and we only work with businesses.
Yes. However, the shipments may be subject to higher minimum quantities than in the United States. Please contact Red Fox to determine the minimum quantities of the parts you want to recycle.
No. Red Fox does NOT recycle catalytic converters. However, our parent company, Hensel Recycling North America, does recycle catalytic converters from autos.
No. Red Fox only works with businesses looking to recycle 15+ emissions control parts per lot or shipment. However, this article helps pickup truck owners with resources for recycling single DPFs and DOCs.
