Technical Info About Catalytic Converters

Everyone today knows what a catalytic converter is. It is an emissions control device which is fitted in automobiles in order to control the air pollution caused by smoke. It is a revolutionary invention that has enabled preservation of environment while still allowing industrial progress. Catalytic converters are complex devices that have intricate mechanisms to treat harmful gases produced on fuel combustion. It is in their special construction and design that enables treatment of harmful gases. This article discusses such technical complexities of catalytic converters.

Catalytic converters usually consist of four components in their construction. The first component is the catalyst supporter. This portion of the device is used to hold the catalyst to be used in the device to carry out the job. It is a honeycombed structure. Usually, it is made out of ceramic. However, if high heat resistance is required, a metal core may be used in place of ceramic. It was invented by Irwin Lachman, Rodney Bagley and Ronald Lewis. The second component that goes into the construction of a catalytic converter is the washcoat. This component is a medium that spreads the catalyst evenly over a large surface area. The materials commonly used as wash coat are titanium dioxide, aluminium oxide, silicon dioxide, etc. Before the catalyst is finally applied to the converter core, it is held as suspension on this washcoat. Effectively, the greater surface area a washcoat provides, the greater will be the actively catalytic property of a converter. The third major component is the ceria. These are oxygen storage promoters to help with the catalytic reactions. The fourth component is the catalyst itself. These are usually platinum group metals. The functions it has to perform are reduction and oxidation reactions. Rare earth metals like palladium and rhodium are used for oxidation and reduction respectively. Platinum is a metal that is used for both these reactions – however, being costly, it is not preferred.

A catalytic converter also has a life. After this period has expired, it becomes inefficient and incapable of performing any more reactions. In order to reduce the burden on the environment, recycling catalytic converters has become a prevalent practice globally. The components as described above are still precious even after the converter has lived its life. There still remain trace amounts of precious metals in the device, which can be extracted in order to reduce the mining burden on the planet. Precious metals are extracted during recycling by catalytic converter smelting. Recycling of these devices has actually become a highly feasible business. The agencies that understand the scale of this activity are able to contribute much to the environment in addition to making profits. The value chain of catalytic converter recycling consists of the following levels, sometimes minus the middlemen involved: the user, the dealer, the recycler and the metal buyer. Sometimes the user directly sells to the recycler without any dealer being involved. Where the users do not have access to recyclers, dealers come into picture.

To gain more information on alpha recycling, visit Globalrefininggroup.com

About The Author

Tom Blake is an expert in recycling catalytic converters who also likes to write many interesting articles and blogs, helping people in understanding the process and the many advantages that stem from it. In the US, he recommends Globalrefininggroup.com as the most trusted specialist for this job.

Benjamin Harvey is a mechanical engineer specializing in automobiles, and is closely associated with working and researching on catalytic converters.