January Presentation: Precious Metals, their Uses and Life Cycle by Todd Ballinger, PhD

by Laura Dwyer, MSDC Member

When most people think of precious metals, images of gold bars, fine jewelry, and ornate artwork often come to mind. Yet beyond their beauty, precious metals possess unique chemical properties that make them indispensable in a wide range of applications. This presentation will explore:

· The diverse uses of precious metals across industries,

· Global supply and demand dynamics,

· The complete life cycle — from mining and manufacturing to recycling, and

· Why recycling is critical to ensuring a sustainable supply for future needs.

Speaker Bio

Dr. Todd Ballinger is a Technical Sales Manager for Heraeus Precious Metals North America. He has 30 years of experience in the development and application of precious metal catalysts. Todd joined Heraeus Precious Metals in 2018 and has responsibilities for emission catalysts, catalysts for green hydrogen production, precious metal pre-cursors, and recycling of precious metal catalysts. 

For the past 5 years, Todd has been involved in the use of precious metal catalysts for fuel cells and electrolyzers, as well as the recycling processes to recover precious metals and ionomers from end-of-life stacks. Prior to Heraeus Precious Metals, Todd worked at Johnson Matthey for 23 years holding multiple roles in R&D, applications, and sales of precious metal catalysts for the automotive industry.

 Todd is an author or co-author on 8 patents and 25 peer-reviewed scientific publications related to precious metal catalysts. Todd earned his BS degree in Chemistry from Miami University and his PhD degree in Physical Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh.