A vehicle’s exhaust emission system is directly connected to the engine so that all the exhaust that gets generated through fuel combustion is forced to travel through the exhaust system before reaching the tailpipe.

Exhaust is first collected by the manifold and then pushed through pipes to the catalytic converter. At the heart of the catalytic converter is Corning’s ceramic substrate, which is coated with a high surface area washcoat containing a precious metal coating. The coated ceramic heats quickly, helping neutralize the toxic mix of gaseous pollutants like hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. Inside the substrate, thousands of channels act as a chemistry lab, effectively treating the large volume of exhaust that flows through.

Next, our ceramic particulate filter addresses microscopic particulate emissions. The filter design traps particulates in the inlet channels on the porous wall by forcing the exhaust through the finely engineered porous microstructure, allowing the clean exhaust to exit from the open outlet channel. The system is designed to periodically clean the filter by burning off built-up soot.

The neutralized gases are then led through a muffler to silence the engine sound before exiting the vehicle through the tailpipe.

Since 1975, when widespread adoption of the catalytic converter started in the United States, light- and heavy-duty vehicle emissions have dropped by an astounding 99%.

Watch how our innovative environmental products help reduce the amount of harmful gases and particulates in vehicle exhaust.