In most modern automobiles, the catalytic converter is responsible for breaking down the toxic gases emitted by the car engine. Most of these gases are made of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides and sulphur oxides.
It contains millions of very small metal particles which are coated with a very thin layer of a non-corrosive material that is resistant to high temperatures. This coating consists of alumina (aluminium oxide) mixed with precious metals such as platinum, rhodium and palladium.
It is made up of many layers of different types of material. These layers are formed by the chemical reactions that occur as the air passes through the exhaust pipe of the car.
As the pollution builds up, it heats up the air passing Catalyst Buying through the converter. It causes certain chemicals to react and form gaseous compounds. This causes the metal particles to oxidize. Oxidized particles tend to attract other atoms, which results in the creation of a new compound. This process is called combustion and it is the basis of combustion engines.
After the conversion process, the gas is clean and harmless and only consists of water vapour, carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen.
