MWCC Receives NEDO Grantfor Practical R&D on DPS Technologytoward a Domestic Circulation System for Platinum Group Metals – Recovering Platinum and Iridium from Low-Concentration Solutions to Build a Domestic Resource Circulation System –

Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd.

MWCC Inc. (“MWCC”) announces that it has received a grant decision notice from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) for its R&D theme “Practical Research and Development of DPS Recovery Technology toward Building a Domestic Circulation System for Platinum Group Metals to Support the Widespread Adoption of Fuel Cells and Water Electrolysis,” which had been selected under NEDO’s first FY2026 call for proposals for the “Research and Development on New Energy Technology for Discovering Technology Seeds and Commercializing Developed Technologies” program (Support for New Energy SMEs/Startups).

The project was selected under the “Social Issue Solution Category, Phase B (Fundamental Research)” in the “Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Utilization Promotion” field. MWCC will leverage its low-concentration precious metal recovery technology, DualPoreSystem (DPS technology), which has a proven commercial track record in palladium (Pd) recovery, and expand its scope of application to platinum (Pt) and iridium (Ir), which are used in fuel cells and water electrolyzers. The project aims to establish technology for selectively recovering Pt and Ir from ultra-low-concentration solutions discharged from manufacturing processes and other sources.

■Background

As society moves toward carbon neutrality, fuel cells and water electrolyzers are expected to become increasingly widespread. Meanwhile, the supply of the platinum group metals they use, such as Pt and Ir, is concentrated in a limited number of regions, and resource recycling within Japan is becoming increasingly important from the perspective of securing a stable supply.

In particular, Pt is a key material in fuel cells and Ir in water electrolyzers. However, because the precious metals contained in wastewater and other effluents generated in manufacturing processes are present at low concentrations, they are difficult to recover sufficiently with conventional technologies, and in some cases are discharged without being recovered.

Building a system that efficiently recovers precious metals in this ultra-low-concentration range and returns them to domestic manufacturing processes is an important challenge, not only for the effective use of resources but also for securing a stable supply chain for platinum group metals.

■Development Details

In this project, MWCC will apply its commercially proven DPS technology to establish methods for selectively recovering Pt and Ir from low-concentration solutions.

Using MWCC’s proprietary surface modification technology, DPS enables rapid, highly selective adsorption and recovery of target precious metals from solutions containing impurities. In this project, MWCC will optimize surface modification conditions suited to Pt and Ir, as well as peripheral technologies such as pretreatment and flow-through treatment.

Building on the technology and know-how it has accumulated in Pd recovery, MWCC will expand the scope to Pt and Ir, establish recovery technology for ultra-low-concentration solutions discharged from manufacturing processes, and advance technology development with a view to future implementation in actual production lines and commercialization.

■Future Outlook

Through this project, MWCC aims to build a technological foundation for recovering platinum group metals in the ultra-low-concentration range, which have been difficult to recover, and reusing them domestically.

By expanding the scope of DPS technology from Pd to Pt and Ir, MWCC aims to contribute to a stable supply of precious metals and their domestic recycling for growth industries such as fuel cells and water electrolysis.

■Low-Concentration Precious Metal Recovery Business Website
https://mwcc.jp/en/dps/