Platinum plays a key role in helping cars meet tough emissions rules by cleaning up exhaust gases in catalytic converters. These rules from governments push car makers to use platinum and similar metals to cut pollution from engines.
Car engines burn fuel and release harmful gases like carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and particles. These pollutants hurt air quality and health. To fight this, laws like Euro standards in Europe and EPA rules in the US set strict limits on what cars can emit. For example, Euro standards started with Euro 1 and now go up to Euro 6, with Euro 7 coming soon. Each step demands even lower levels of those bad gaseshttps://energy.sustainability-directory.com/term/automotive-pollution-control/.
One main fix is the catalytic converter, a device in the exhaust pipe. It has a ceramic honeycomb coated with tiny bits of platinum, palladium, and rhodium. These platinum group metals act as catalysts. They speed up chemical reactions that turn harmful gases into harmless ones: carbon monoxide becomes carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons turn to water vapor, and nitrogen oxides become plain nitrogenhttps://www.britannica.com/technology/emission-control-systemhttps://smart.dhgate.com/platinum-in-catalytic-converters-why-its-essential/. Platinum is essential because it works well at high heat to break down these pollutants without getting used up.
Tighter rules mean cars need more of these metals in converters. Newer designs, especially for diesel or big vehicles, load up extra platinum to pass tests. Tests now check real driving, not just lab runs, with cycles like WLTP and RDE to match everyday usehttps://energy.sustainability-directory.com/term/automotive-pollution-control/https://ledouxandcompany.com/catalyst-testing/pgm-catalytic-converter-prices/. Euro 7 will add longer life requirements, boosting metal use even morehttps://shanakaanslemperera.substack.com/p/the-palladium-paradox-thirteen-years.
Other systems help too. Exhaust gas recirculation sends some exhaust back into the engine to cool combustion and cut nitrogen oxides. Air injection adds oxygen to burn leftovers in the exhaust. Fuel tanks now use charcoal canisters to trap vapors before they escapehttps://www.britannica.com/technology/emission-control-system. Hybrids and electrics still need these for gas engines they carryhttps://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acsomega.5c07746.
These rules save lives by cleaning air and protect nature, but mining platinum has its own costs that need watchinghttps://energy.sustainability-directory.com/term/automotive-pollution-control/.
Sources
https://www.britannica.com/technology/emission-control-system
https://energy.sustainability-directory.com/term/automotive-pollution-control/
https://smart.dhgate.com/platinum-in-catalytic-converters-why-its-essential/
https://ledouxandcompany.com/catalyst-testing/pgm-catalytic-converter-prices/
https://shanakaanslemperera.substack.com/p/the-palladium-paradox-thirteen-years
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acsomega.5c07746