Emission Control Systems

How Does a Catalyst Work?

Catalyst: a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change. A catalytic converter works off a very simple principal that we can induce a chemical change in a substance by introducing elements that either oxidise or de-oxidise harmful emissions to change their state. Imagine the basic principals of metals oxidising . Steel, Iron, Aluminium, Copper, Zinc etc..

What happens when they oxidise? This principal is used in an automotive catalytic converter to either split oxygen/elements or combine oxygen/elements in a particular emission to make it less harmful.