Redox scavenging of platinum in marine ferromanganese crusts and nodules

Platinum (Pt), one of the least abundant elements in the Earth’s crust, is widely used in catalysis for degrading harmful chemicals, such as nitric oxide in automotive exhaust, and in anticancer drugs. We propose to determine its scavenging process in ferromanganese (FeMn) marine deposits of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans, which leads to its billion times enrichment compared to seawater. To study samples from all known deposits among the three world’s largest oceans is a key for understanding the genesis of this marine Pt resource, its specificity, and its universality. The results of this research will be of relevance to mineral extraction and processing. This research is the main part of a post-doc project.