A catalytic converter plays a crucial role in controlling a vehicle's exhaust emissions. It's one of the most valuable car parts due to the inordinately large number of precious metals it contains. Review this brief guide to learn how this component works and the materials that can be recycled from it.

How It Works

When exhaust exits an internal combustion engine, it still contains trace amounts of unburned gas, oil, and other particles. A catalytic converter is essentially a small chamber that collects the unburned materials and combines them with oxygen, allowing them to burn more evenly and thoroughly. 

When leaving the tailpipe, the exhaust is cleaner than when it left the engine. While a vehicle can technically still run without a catalytic converter, it's not a sustainable long-term solution, and all modern cars contain the component.

What It Contains

Platinum, palladium, and rhodium are the three most common precious metals found in a catalytic converter. Cerium, manganese, and nickel can also sometimes be harvested from the component. The exact amounts of these materials vary between different vehicle makes and models. 

The size of the catalytic converter itself isn't a major determinant of how much metal can be recovered. For example, a smaller converter on a Toyota Prius™ might contain large concentrations even though the square footage of the car part is relatively small. 

The best option is to contact a scrap yard to find out how much precious metal your converter contains and how much it would be worth in the current market. In most cases, the metals are valuable enough to make it financially worthwhile to recycle the component.

To learn about scrap metal prices and recycling procedures for catalytic converters in Monroe County, NY, contact Metalico Rochester. With three locations for your convenience, they offer fair and competitive prices for metal car parts. They also sell thousands of used auto parts, all in excellent condition and vehicle-ready. Call (585) 436-0713 or visit them online to request a quote.