Interview with Executive Chairman of The China Precious Metals Industry Committee James Bian

Submissions for the Palladium Global Science Award remain open until 31 July, when the selection progress will commence. The award is taking place in association with the China Precious Metals Industry Committee (CPMIC) as General Partner. We spoke to Jiang Bian, the Executive Chairman of the CPMIC, in a wide-ranging discussion covering collaboration between business and government, innovative new uses for palladium, global efforts to reduce carbon emissions and more.

Could you tell us what the China Precious Metals Industry Committee’s main activities are? How and why was it established?

The establishment of the CPMIC was officially approved by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China in April 2006. As a forum for communication between government and business, its key responsibilities and areas of activity include establishing and improving internal industry oversight mechanisms, while coordinating with government agencies to draw up industry regulations, standards, and industrial plans. At the same time, the CPMIC safeguards the legitimate rights and interests of members as an industry body, actively promoting the compliant operation of the precious metals industry, and propelling the industry towards large-scale and international development. It provides all-round high-quality services to members through industry statistical research, consulting, rollout of advanced technologies, professional training, product certification, conferences, and international exchange and cooperation. At present, CPMIC members account for 80% of the market share in the production, application and trade of platinum group metals (PGMs) in China.

The committee was established to consolidate industry strength, coordinate resources across the entire value chain, to address the resource, environmental, technological and management challenges faced during the early stages of industry development, and to promote the healthy, standardized and sustainable development of China’s precious metals recycling industry. The establishment of the association is primarily based on the following points:

• First, strategic resource needs. Precious metals have a wide range of applications and are indispensable key materials in industry. With the gradual reduction of global precious metal mineral resources, countries generally elevate the recycling of precious metal waste to the same strategic level as primary mineral development. China has also explicitly classified precious metals as strategic resources. With the acceleration of China’s industrialization, the country has become the world’s largest consumer of precious metals. China’s PGM mineral resources are extremely low, and recycling and reuse serve as an important supplement to the market
• Second, industry standardization and upgrading needs. At the time of the CPMIC’s establishment, China’s large-scale recycling of secondary precious metal resources had just started. The industry faced prominent issues: fragmentation with low concentration, a poor technological profile, an overall low level of recycling technology and outdated processes and equipment, leading to low precious metal recovery rates. There was also serious local pollution during the recycling process, along with the lack of a stable and efficient waste supply and demand relationship between upstream waste-producing enterprises and downstream formal recycling enterprises, posing risks of waste flowing into informal channels. Standardizing the compliant development of the industry and establishing a new order in the precious metals industry were our main issues to address.
• Third, policy guidance and technology needs. There was a need to establish internal industry oversight mechanisms, coordinate with the government to draw up the relevant regulations, standards and industrial plans, strengthen industry access management, eliminate backward production capacity, and guide the industry towards large-scale, intensive, compliant and international development.

What role do new palladium applications play in these activities? Why is this metal so important, in your opinion?

For the association, the development of the precious metals industry is not just about the market – it’s also part of our responsibility to drive industry innovation and sustainable growth. We support innovative applications of palladium, particularly those that enhance product efficiency and environmental friendliness. This aligns with the association’s responsibilities and development mission.

Palladium is a high-tech metal that is difficult to replace and which has the largest market scale among PGMs. It is crucial for the development of new materials and environmental protection industries. To ensure the sustainable and high-quality development of the precious metals industry, it is necessary to develop new applications. The establishment of the Palladium Global Science Award provides a unique opportunity to inspire scientists and research teams engaged in innovation and to identify and support promising technologies.

Which modern applications for palladium do you consider to be the most promising?

First and foremost, palladium’s applications in the green energy transition, such as hydrogen energy technology. Platinum serves as a core catalyst in proton exchange membrane fuel cells, promoting the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity, making it a key material for hydrogen-powered vehicles and energy storage systems. Palladium can replace platinum here, achieving the same efficacy while reducing fuel cell costs. As global hydrogen energy infrastructure construction accelerates, demand will continue to rise. In research experiments, palladium can also be applied to glass fiber bushing plates, reducing production costs.

Second, palladium’s applications in hybrid vehicle catalysis. Even with the growing electric vehicle sector, hybrid vehicles require palladium-based catalysts to purify exhaust gases. The implementation of National VI and higher emission standards has driven an increase in the amount of palladium used per vehicle, and technological upgrades will further strengthen demand.

Additionally, there are innovative applications of palladium in biomedicine and carbon neutral technologies. Palladium’s applications are transitioning from traditional exhaust gas purification to three key areas: hydrogen energy, digital infrastructure and precision medicine. Technological iteration and resource circulation will jointly drive long-term value growth. Studies have also shown that palladium’s application in pure electric vehicle batteries can improve battery performance.

As a leader in the green economy, what progressive applications of palladium can China showcase today?

Currently, China’s development in palladium applications primarily focuses on three directions: high-end manufacturing, green energy and circular technologies.

China continues to strengthen automotive emission control. In addition to fuel vehicles requiring three-way catalytic converters with palladium as the core material, palladium performs outstandingly in improving oil quality (desulfurization and denitrification) during the oil refining process, and refineries’ usage of high-performance palladium catalysts is increasing continuously. Over the next 2–3 years, the demand for palladium-containing catalysts in vinyl acetate production is expected to see a significant increase.

China is accelerating the localization of palladium in three fields: hydrogen energy electrolyzer catalysts (cost reduction by 50%), semiconductor palladium-plated copper wires (import substitution), and hybrid vehicle catalytic systems (sulfur poisoning resistance) in order to address supply chain risks.

What impresses you most about current global developments in new palladium applications?

Currently, global palladium applications are shifting from ‘exhaust gas purification’ to three innovative fields: hydrogen energy catalysis, electronic miniaturization and carbon conversion. In the resource utilization of carbon dioxide, palladium molecular sieve catalysts have achieved an 85% conversion rate in CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol, with pilot plants processing 10,000 tonnes annually, demonstrating significant carbon reduction benefits. Additionally, in the field of biomedicine and targeted therapy carriers, 10-nanometre-scale palladium nanosheets can achieve near-infrared photothermal precise ablation of cancer cells, with a tumor inhibition rate of 92% in clinical trials.

As a key partner of the Palladium Global Science Award, what are your expectations for the entries that will be submitted?

We treat all applications equally and primarily value the criteria listed in the rules: scientific novelty, technical feasibility, practical application potential, etc. The concept and quality of the entries are of utmost importance.
The Palladium Global Science Award is an annual international science competition aimed at recognizing breakthrough research that expands application prospects for palladium, covering theoretical exploration, prototyping and industrial development. We sincerely invite global institutions of higher learning, research institutes and new materials enterprises to actively recommend scientists, researchers and engineers engaged in the innovative applications of palladium-containing materials to sign up for the competition.