Value Out of Scrap

The most commonly used fuels in automobiles are petrol and diesel, both of which are hydrocarbons. Although, as the name suggests, they contain hydrogen and carbon primarily, they also have trace amounts of nitrogen present in them. When you burn hydrocarbons to get energy, three main reactions are bound to occur. The first reaction is the conversion of hydrogen into water vapor, which is fairly harmless. Second reaction is the conversion of carbon present in the compound to carbon mono-oxide. Carbon monoxide is toxic to the heart because it reduces oxygen content in the body by reacting with oxygen present in the blood. Lastly, nitrogen oxides are also emitted by these fuels which can lead to the formation of toxic acidic smog, and even acid in the atmosphere. To prevent these emissions from going into the atmosphere, a device known as catalytic converter is used. A catalytic converter reacts with these emissions and converts them into less harmful compositions which can be disposed off more efficiently.

The working of catalytic converters is pretty easy to understand. The term "Catalyst" is used for a substance which helps speed up the rate of reaction. Catalytic converters have oxidizing and reducing agents, having a ceramic structure which has a metal catalyst coating. The reduction catalyst frees the oxygen atoms in the nitrogen oxides, and lets the nitrogen atoms react with other nitrogen atoms. These nitrogen atoms get adhered to the catalyst in the form of N2. In the second step, the oxidation takes place wherein unburnt hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide are oxidized so as to convert them into less toxic form of carbon dioxide. Moreover, the free oxygen from the first stage is used to maintain a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio.

Nowadays, catalytic converters are coming as an integral part of the car. It has come a long way since it was first invented in 1930. There are now a number of dealers who sell catalytic converters. The estimated life of this product is almost 160000km, which is usually the same as that of the automobiles we use; therefore there usually occurs no requirement for changing a catalytic converter based on its life cycle. However, other factors are present which could force to you to change your catalytic converter. Firstly, an accident to the bottom of the car can damage it. Secondly, other parts of the vehicle such as bad exhaust valves or fouled plugs can cause overheating of catalytic converter. Although in these cases you have to get a new one, it is not advisable to throw the old one away as catalytic converter scrap.

You can sell your scrap catalytic converters and get some financial output out of it. There are many organizations such as Stillwater Mining Company and Alpha Recycling which will buy your old catalytic converters (even the severely damaged ones), the reason being that although in trace amounts, these converters contain a lot of precious metals such as platinum, palladium etc. which can be extracted by processes such as smelting. For more information log on to Globalrefininggroup.com.

About The Author

Benjamin Harvey is a mechanical engineer specializing in automobiles, and is closely associated with working and researching on catalytic converters. He is of the opinion that www.globalrefininggroup.com is the best destination to sell catalytic converters.

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