Catalytic Converters Essay

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Catalytic converters What Is a Catalytic Converter? The catalytic converter is a device located in the exhaust system of all modern motor vehicles. It is an important device in the exhaust gas de-pollution process, which reduces harmful environmental exhaust emissions of motor vehicle’s combustion cycle by-products. Its function is to chemically change harmful pollutants that the engine has combusted in the process of its various starting, driving, power and idle conditions. A device in the exhaust system of a motor vehicle, containing a catalyst for converting pollutant gases into less harmful ones. A catalytic converter is a device that uses a catalyst to convert three harmful compounds in car exhaust into harmless compounds. The three harmful compounds are: * Hydrocarbons (in the form of unburned gasoline) * Carbon monoxide (formed by the combustion of gasoline) * Nitrogen oxides (created when the heat in the engine forces nitrogen in the air to combine with oxygen) Carbon monoxide is a poison for any air-breathing animal. Nitrogen oxides lead to smog and acid rain, and hydrocarbons produce smog. In a catalytic converter, the catalyst (in the form of platinum and palladium) is coated onto a ceramic honeycomb or ceramic beads that are housed in a muffler-like package attached to the exhaust pipe. The catalyst helps to convert carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide. It converts the hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide and water. It also converts the nitrogen oxides back into nitrogen and oxygen. Green Living Image Gallery A large pile of platinum lined catalytic converters. See more green living pictures. James L. Amos/National Geographic/Getty Images There are millions of cars on the road in the United States, and each one is a source of air pollution. Especially in large cities, the amount of pollution that all the cars produce together can

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