Emissions control is the attempt to control, limit, reduce or even completely remove the pollutants that we, as humans release into the earth’s atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels such as gasoline. If you do not wish to destroy the earth with pollutants from your personal car then you will want to read the following because the pollutants that we introduce into the earth’s atmosphere can and will destroy the earth over a period in time.

The burning of gasoline to power the engine that drives your car down the road releases multiple pollutants, also known as emissions into the earth’s atmosphere. When we speak about emissions control, we are normally referring to the gasses emitted from various systems on your personal automobile.

For example, one type of emissions control is the control of the amount of exhaust gasses that we allow our car to emit into the atmosphere.

The emissions control systems that we use to control the exhaust gasses released by our cars are the catalytic converter, EGR (Exhaust Gas Return) valve and the muffler. First in line is the EGR valve, which recycles exhaust gasses with a high fuel content back through the engines intake system to be burned. Next, the catalytic converter is used to catalyze the hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide in the exhaust released by the engine through the exhaust system.

Platinum and palladium in honeycomb or pellet form is used to catalyze these gases as they pass through the catalytic converter. These gasses are catalyzed by the catalytic converter into carbon dioxide and H2O (water). Last, but definitely not least is your cars muffler.

Although, the muffler is as by name used to quiet the noise pollution from your car, it is also the last chance for as much of the gasses not catalyzed into carbon monoxide and H2O in the catalytic converter to be removed or condensed.

Other emissions control systems on your car include the PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) valve, evaporative emissions control and air injection systems. The PCV valve recycles the combustible vapors emitted from the crankcase through the intake system.

The evaporative emissions control system recycles the combustible vapors emitted from the fuel in the fuel tank through the intake system. The air injection system is used to add oxygen from the atmosphere into the exhaust system to help your car to burn the emissions gasses created by your car’s engine. To summarize these emissions control systems all help in their own way to control the pollutant gasses released by your car.

The following is a simple look at the emissions control system of your personal automobile, which is something many don’t understand.

First, let’s talk about why there is a need to control the emissions output of vehicles with gasoline or diesel powered engines.

Nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide are byproducts of fuels refined from petroleum burned to power the engine of a car. When these gasses are released into the atmosphere of the earth, they have very damaging and irreversible effects. The harmful gasses entering the atmosphere are not all created from the burning action of petroleum-based fossil fuels; hydrocarbons are a harmful gas emitted by the vaporization of the fuel stored in the fuel tank and from the crankcase.

In 1977, the U.S. government passed the clean air act setting limits to how much of each pollutant was allowed to be released by a car.

Automobile manufacturers responded by adding pollution control devices to cars as standard equipment. In 1981, the first of a new generation of self-adjusting engines controlled by computers called feedback fuel control systems was introduced to the market place. Oxygen sensors were installed in the exhaust system to measure the fuel content being expelled with the exhaust gasses.

The computer would then adjust the fuel to air mixture to help compensate for the unused fuel loss.

With the progressive maturity of the emissions control system computers used in automobiles, they began to be used to adjust the ignition spark timing “on the fly” as well as the other emissions control system equipment.

The emissions control system of your car consists of no less than five different standard equipments parts controlling five different emissions contributing factors.

These five standard emissions control equipment parts are: catalytic converter, PCV valve, EGR valve, evaporative controls and air injection. The catalytic converter may be the single most important part of the emissions control system.
The catalytic converter is part of the exhaust system installed before the muffler.

Inside of the catalytic converter are pellets or a honeycomb chamber made of platinum or palladium. The platinum or palladium acts as catalyst, speeding up the chemical process of the hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide being oxidized and converted into carbon dioxide and H2O (water). When this process takes place, heat is produced.

The more pollutants in the exhaust, the more heat produced. Excessive amounts of heat with cause the catalytic converter to destroy itself. Because lead will coat the platinum or palladium, rendering its efficiency to an almost useless level, all fuels in the USA are now unleaded.