Methods for the determination of platinum group elements originating from the abrasion of automotive catalytic converters

Anthropogenic emission of platinum group elements (PGEs) from the abrasion of automotive catalytic converters into the environment has significantly increased. However, the concentration level of these PGEs (i.e. Pd, Pt, Rh) is still very low in the nature. Accordingly, their determination and speciation in various environmental compartments appears to be a challenging task for analytical chemists. The present review gives an overview of the analytical procedures documented in this particular field of analytical chemistry with a distinctive emphasis on spectrochemical methodology, it being the most sensitive and robust for accomplishing the above analytical task.