Platinum Group Element Emissions from Automobile Catalysts

Abstract

In the last 19 years the use of automotive catalytic converters in the European union has been mandatory in order to control exhaust gas emissions. A new sampling system was developed in order to be applied directly at the exhaust pipe of vehicles combined with an exhaust gas analyzer in order to achieve total sampling of Pt, Pd, Rh (Platinum Group Elements, PGEs) on filters in particle form and simultaneous gas monitoring. This work aimed to examine the catalyst emissions according to the age, the thermal state and the capacity of the automobile engine. The main analytical methods used were ICP-MS and GF-AAS, while the exhaust gas emissions were analyzed with an automotive test system. The data collected were in good agreement with the recent technological advancement in catalyst technology and led to important observations and conclusions.