A catalytic converter is an exhaust emission control device that converts toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine into less-toxic pollutants by catalyzing a redox reaction.
source/image: Warped Perception
Although catalytic converters are most commonly applied to exhaust systems in automobiles, they are also used on electrical generators, forklifts, mining equipment, trucks, buses, locomotives, motorcycles, and on ships.
The catalyst itself is most often a mix of precious metals, mostly from the platinum group. Platinum is the most active catalyst and is widely used, but is not suitable for all applications because of unwanted additional reactions and high cost. Palladium and rhodium are two other precious metals used.
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Ever wonder what’s happening inside your catalytic converter? I Make a See Through Catalytic Converter to see what’s happening inside the catalytic converter when it’s functioning.You can clearly see that when it’s not within its normal operating temperature it’s not doing too much, I’m guessing this is why most cars put out the majority of their pollution during the first 5 minutes of startup.
