Pollution  

Pollution is a large issue in the world at this moment. It damages our health and our cities. Cars, buses, and trucks are the main culprits when it comes to pollution. They have helped us improve our mobility and increased our efficiency. Fortunately, most of these vehicles are now fitted with pollutant-reducing units called catalytic converters. They turn harmful chemicals in vehicle exhausts into harmless gases such as steam.

Engines & Catalytic Converters

Car engines run on gas or diesel, which are made from petroleum. When this fuel is burned, the chemicals released are harmful. The pollutant gases made by car engines include: carbon monoxide, VOC (volatile organic compounds), and nitrogen oxides (smog). These pollutant gases are made of relatively harmless atoms.

Catalytic converters help split these molecules after they leave the car’s engine before they get pumped out into the air. A catalyst is simply a chemical that makes a chemical reaction happen faster without changing the process. The catalyst’s job is to speed up the removal of pollution. The catalyst is made from platinum or a platinum-like metal such as palladium or rhodium.

The Process

The catalytic converter is located on the underside of the car and typically has two pipes coming out of it. One of them is connected to the engine and brings in hot, polluted fumes from the engine’s cylinders (where the fuel burns and produces power). The second pipe (the output) is connected to the tailpipe. As the gases enter the catalyst, chemical reactions take place on its surface, breaking apart the pollutant gases and converting them into other gases that are safe enough to blow into the air.

There are two different catalysts in a catalytic converter:

• One of them tackles nitrogen oxide pollution using a chemical process called reduction (removing oxygen). This breaks up nitrogen oxides into nitrogen and oxygen gases (which are harmless, because they already exist in the air around us).

• The other catalyst works by an opposite chemical process called oxidation (adding oxygen) and turns carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide. Another oxidation reaction turns unburned hydrocarbons in the exhaust into carbon dioxide and water.

After the catalyst has done its job, what emerges from the exhaust is mostly nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water (in the form of steam).

Have More Questions About Your Catalytic Converter?

At Hurricane Automotive, our mission is to supply you with top quality catalytic converters and performance exhaust products for your vehicle from brand names that you can trust. Since the company was founded, we have shipped thousands of catalytic converters and performance exhaust products to satisfied customers throughout the country. If you have more questions or concerns about your catalytic converter, Contact Us. We will be happy to answer all your questions!