Catalytic Converters: Creating Cleaner Air
Before the harmful effects of petroleum-fueled exhaust (i.e., smog) were known, there was not yet a need to control the primary source of these exhaust emissions: automobiles. As history has taught us, however, with the rise in use of gasoline and diesel-fueled motor vehicles, the subsequent exhaust gases produced began to create a major problem in the air quality of many metropolitan areas; thus leading to the research and ultimate development of the first exhaust gas inhibitors: commonly known today as the catalytic converter.
The first converter was developed in the 1950s by French mechanical engineer, Eugene Houdry as a result of poor air quality reports of the day. Subsequent improvements on Houdry’s initial design continued over the years resulting in the first, production line converter reaching the public market in 1973. Since then, almost all local and federal emission laws mandate converters on motor vehicles in order to reduce the amount of noxious exhaust emissions. The results thus far have been positive. So, just what is a catalytic converter and what does it do? The answers to these questions, and others, are rooted in chemistry.
The basic premise behind a converter is the conversion of harmful petroleum-based gas emissions, such as carbon monoxide and unspent hydrocarbons (both of which are toxic to oxygen-breathing animals), to the less-harmful emissions of carbon dioxide and water; both of which, of course, are NOT harmful. In essence, these small, canister-like mechanisms change potentially lethal gas emissions to non-poisonous emissions. It’s as simple as that. The science of how they perform such a switchover is beyond the scope of this article; however, the main catalyst (or the primary component creating the chemical change) is one of the following precious metals: Platinum, Palladium, or Rhodium. It is the use of these metals that creates one of the negative aspects of the converter: theft.
Theft, along with the emission of carbon dioxide gas (one of the chief greenhouse gases often attributed to global warming) in larger than necessary amounts, represent the two primary downsides to converters. With the price of precious metals seemingly on the rise with no ceiling, these valuable pollution control devices are becoming even more precious. Many motorists are noticing upon starting their vehicles that an important, mandatory, and expensive-to-replace part of their car is now gone. Unfortunately, these are the times we live in. The positives of the catalytic converter, however, far outweigh the negatives: cleaner air, cleaner emissions, and more fuel efficient vehicles in most cases.Before the harmful effects of petroleum-fueled exhaust (i.e., smog) were known, there was not yet a need to control the primary source of these exhaust emissions: automobiles. As history has taught us, however, with the rise in use of gasoline and diesel-fueled motor vehicles, the subsequent exhaust gases produced began to create a major problem in the air quality of many metropolitan areas; thus leading to the research and ultimate development of the first exhaust gas inhibitors: commonly known today as the catalytic converter.
The first converter was developed in the 1950s by French mechanical engineer, Eugene Houdry as a result of poor air quality reports of the day. Subsequent improvements on Houdry’s initial design continued over the years resulting in the first, production line converter reaching the public market in 1973. Since then, almost all local and federal emission laws mandate converters on motor vehicles in order to reduce the amount of noxious exhaust emissions. The results thus far have been positive. So, just what is a catalytic converter and what does it do? The answers to these questions, and others, are rooted in chemistry.
The basic premise behind a converter is the conversion of harmful petroleum-based gas emissions, such as carbon monoxide and unspent hydrocarbons (both of which are toxic to oxygen-breathing animals), to the less-harmful emissions of carbon dioxide and water; both of which, of course, are NOT harmful. In essence, these small, canister-like mechanisms change potentially lethal gas emissions to non-poisonous emissions. It’s as simple as that. The science of how they perform such a switchover is beyond the scope of this article; however, the main catalyst (or the primary component creating the chemical change) is one of the following precious metals: Platinum, Palladium, or Rhodium. It is the use of these metals that creates one of the negative aspects of the converter: theft.
Theft, along with the emission of carbon dioxide gas (one of the chief greenhouse gases often attributed to global warming) in larger than necessary amounts, represent the two primary downsides to converters. With the price of precious metals seemingly on the rise with no ceiling, these valuable pollution control devices are becoming even more precious. Many motorists are noticing upon starting their vehicles that an important, mandatory, and expensive-to-replace part of their car is now gone. Unfortunately, these are the times we live in. The positives of the catalytic converter, however, far outweigh the negatives: cleaner air, cleaner emissions, and more fuel efficient vehicles in most cases.
