Catalytic Converter | Going Green

Overview: If you are driving a car that was built after 1975 there is a catalytic converter installed in the exhaust system.  It is usually installed in the exhaust system just before the muffler. The catalytic converter reduces the toxicity of emissions from the engine.  

Catalytic history goes back to 1975 when it was first introduced on US manufactured automobiles for all 1975 model cars to comply with EPA regulations on auto exhaust.

Many countries world-wide use catalytic converters in the global effort to reduce exhaust emission, namely CO2. Scientists believe that the dangerous gases that are emitted from factories and car pollution are the major cause for various holes being found in the ozone layer and contribute to global warming or climate change. These pollutants are responsible for drastic changes in weather patterns with record high temperatures on a world wide scale. Many “Green Activists” believe that more has to be done in regards to slow down the damage that is being caused to the environment by automotive and industrial population. For these reasons many scientists, politicians, and “green activist” believe in the importance and need of a catalytic converter.

The automobile catalytic converter helps purify the exhaust that is being emitted into the air to make it less harmful to the environment.  The vehicles that we drive run on gasoline. If you look at gasoline from a scientific prospective, it is obvious that the burning of gasoline creates a lot of carbon. When the carbon breaks down, it allows the car to function in the way that it does. In the process it gives off various harmful gases including carbon monoxide. When vehicles were first created, the concept of having catalytic converters never existed.  As awareness arose in relation to the damaging effects that these pollutants have on the environment is what brought the catalytic converter into existence.

In most countries, the law requires that every vehicle is required to have a catalytic converter and that it is operating effectively.  If your car is an old model or an antique it does not have a catalytic converter installed. It isn’t likely that one was installed because the exhaust system needs other devices such an O2 sensor to function properly. As the number of cars driven on a world wide scale has increased drastically sense 1975 many scientists and engineers now believe that having a catalytic converter installed on all automobiles is not enough to prevent the harmful effects of the automotive hydro carbon pollutants being emitted into the environment. Even though the converter helps purify the exhaust the increase in the number of cars contributing to the pollution doesn’t make much of a difference.

In most states automobiles are required a yearly check of the exhaust system to ensure that catalytic converter is not emitting any more dangerous pollutants than what it is legally allowed. These tests ensure that all the vehicles that are being driven on the road are fitted with an effective catalytic converter. If your car is giving out dark black smoke from the exhaust, it is advised that you get it checked. It is likely that your catalytic converter is plugged and is no longer effectively working and may need replacing. This can mainly be due to the fuel that you use in your vehicle. Typically a catalytic converter costs approximately $700 - $1,000 dollars at a major auto dealership repair center and $400 - $500 for an after market replacement. Most catalytic converters require replacement approximately every 75,000 miles, depending upon the type of fuel used in your car. Unfortunately the ethanol additive that is in most automotive fuels shortens the service life of catalytic converters.

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