Essentially, a catalytic converter filters out harmful by products in the exhaust gases and burns them up. And while the main function of a catalytic converter is to reduce harmful emissions, it also improves your car’s efficiency.

Of all the parts that make up a car, the catalytic converter is undoubtably one of the most important—and for a few reasons. The catalytic converter helps to reduce airborne pollutants that could harm people as well as the environment, turning 90% of harmful emissions into less harmful gasses. A well-maintained catalytic converter improves the efficiency of your car, directly affecting its overall health and performance.

In 2020, nearly 78 million motor vehicles were produced around the world. Despite the rising sales and production of electric vehicles (EV), most cars will still have combustion engines with catalytic converters in the coming years.

These car parts require enormous amounts of raw materials. In particular, there is a high demand around the world for platinum, palladium, and rhodium—rare precious metals found inside the catalytic converters. Their job is to help ensure that the unburned residues of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, or nitrogen oxides are oxidized and neutralized. These metals are also needed for vehicles in use. 

However, the extraction of these ores is costly and polluting. For just one gram of platinum, around 300 kg of rock must be extracted from a depth of up to 1,000 meters. Despite the effort and costs required for extraction, the large mines in Africa, Russia, and the Americas can hardly keep pace with the increasing demand.

Recycling spent car catalytic converters is much more environmentally friendly and conserves resources. Platinum, palladium, and rhodium can be recovered from spent catalyst and reused to make new catalysts when the scrap is properly sorted and prepared.