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mikepurvis11/20/20243 repliesview on HN

Isn’t it supposed to be mostly brake pads, rotors, and tire rubber?

Would be fascinating to imagine it being economically viable to vacuum up and reprocess it, but based on the above I’ve assumed it was worthless.


Replies

alt22711/20/2024

Sounds a bit like the guys that collect the sludge from the sewers in jewellery and gold smithing districts in cities, then pan it for gold. Its not going to make anyone rich, but theres enough gold dust in there to buy some food and shoes for somebody hungry enough to dive into a sewer and collect sludge!

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genter11/20/2024

Dust from the catalytic converter. I've heard of gangs in LA taking shopvacs to the shoulder of the freeway at night.

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olyjohn11/20/2024

Yes, it's copper and other metals used in the brake pads, as well as tire dust. Rotors are mostly just cast iron, so I'm not sure how bad that is.