About catalysts

Motor car catalysts

The internal combustion engine of a car with engine capacity of 1500 сm³ evolves approx. 150 cubic meters of oxide per hour. This oxide greatly endangers the environment, hence, human health, as well. Efforts of the scientists resulted in creation of a device reducing impact of exhaust gases on the environment – catalytic converter, or simply catalyst.

Motor car catalyst reduces amount of such harmful chemical substances, as carbon monooxide (CO), hydrocarbon (HC), nitrogen oxide (NOx) emitted into the environment. The catalyst activated the process of oxidation and / or de-oxidation that make this harmful substances turn into dioxide of carbon (CO2), water (H2O), nitrogen (N2), and, thus, reducing the amount of harmful exhaust gases to a minimum.

There are different types of catalysts that differ for their types of base coat covered by a layer of catalyst. One type is ceramic cellular blocks or sheets of metal with their surface covered by platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd) and rhodium (Rh). These are the precious metals that activate the processes mentioned above. Ceramic cellular blocks or sheets of metal of the catalyst are usually placed in stainless steel case - a metal tank, and this tank is attached to an exhaust system of the car.