Catalytic Converters Are Good For Business

This may sound bizarre at first, but it is true. The fact that catalytic converters can fetch you good amount of money is an unbeatable one. Not too long ago, the government authorities in America decided that it was time for the gasoline powered vehicles to start causing less pollution to the environment. Thus they notified a mandate which required all the gasoline powered vehicles to have a catalytic converter on board. This is a device which helps control the emissions coming out of the exhaust pipe.

A catalytic converter is constructed out of various components, and is of two types. One type of converter is able to treat all the harmful emissions generated by burning fuel, namely oxides of nitrogen, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. The second type of converter performs only oxidation reaction which is good for carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.

The materials used for performing these oxidation and reduction reactions are precious metals – platinum group metals, palladium and rhodium. These metals are precious because it involves a lot of cost and effort to mine and purify them, to make them fit for use. They are available as a rarity, which is why they are also called "rare earth metals". The thing is, using these metals on large scale in catalytic converters proves to be a very costly affair. Acquiring enough platinum to house in a gazillion units of converters to be fitted in automobiles is not an easy job. Keeping this in mind, catalytic converter recycling has been extensively popularized.

The catalyst used in the converters never gets fully used up, even after the end of its useful life. This is because a certain threshold of emission safety is to be maintained, beyond which a converter needs to be decommissioned or replaced. What happens to the remaining metal inside a retired device? The fact is, there is an entire value chain of converter recycling business. From the car owner to the metal buyer, and everything on the side-lines, is part of this business. When you take your car to a garage for getting your converter replaced, the mechanic extracts this device and keeps it safe. This he does until he has enough number of them accumulated (around 500). The mechanic then contacts a dealer or an agency who agrees to pay him the best price for these converters. When the transaction between this dealer and mechanic is over, the dealer then takes these converters to a recycling facility to whom he sells these devices. The recycling company separates metal and sends it for reuse or recycling. The recycling company then performs catalytic converter smelting in order to extract the remaining traces of precious metals from the scrap converter. Once enough metal gets accumulated, the company sells it to buyers.

Those who see profit in the business know exactly how the process works, and how to sidestep the middlemen in order to maximize profits. This is a noble business, which works for the preservation of environment. For more information on catalytic converter smelters, 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.