MAIN IDEA

- Automotive catalysts were implemented in production in the US (1975).
- Japan and thereafter Europe (1986) adopted the use of automotive catalysts.
- The most common type of catalyst found on gasoline engines is the so called: Three-way catalyst (TWC) :

Carbon Monoxide (CO) → Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Hydrocarbons (HC) → Water (H2O)
Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) → Nitrogen (N2)

AND OTHER

- Platinum group metals (PGMs) mainly Pt, Pd and Rh have been the key component in automotive emissions control catalysts.
- The national and international regulatory bodies enforce over more stringent emission rules so that the field of automotive catalysis is always at the very edge of technology.
Continuous research to improve the catalyst performance and function, but also to reduce the amount of PGMs used to the catalyst.
- Driven by ever tightening regulations Gasoline particulate filters (GPFs) are being developed to enable compliance with future particulate number (PN) limits for passenger cars equipped with gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines.