Clean Air for All

Everyone needs it to live. It is precious, and the legal and social pressure to protect it is increasing, with stricter requirements on the rise. This is creating major challenges, but also outstanding opportunities.

Clean Air for all fotolia / Dirk Vonten

Environmental issues have become increasingly important over the last few decades. In September 2015, all UN member countries agreed for the first time on a joint action plan to slow global warming, calling it the 2030 Agenda. It is universally applicable to all countries. The complex sustainability goals laid out in the agenda represent an opportunity for companies to make a decisive contribution. Ultimately, quality and foresight will prevail.

For manufacturers of environmentally-relevant products such as catalytic converters and fuel cells, this will open up many opportunities. Nevertheless, the pressure to constantly improve is high. The market is in motion and companies have to move with it. To this end, we should be constantly monitoring trends to track major developments, or have a reliable partner to do it for us.

Stricter legal requirements

Stricter legal requirements

Legislators are increasingly passing environmental laws based on scientific facts and findings. Value is being placed not so much on what is technically possible, but rather on achieving a goal – for example, consistently low pollutant levels in major urban areas.

This means that meeting legal requirements will become more challenging. In addition, applications that no one was focusing on a few years ago are now being included in current legislation. The new environmental laws are stricter not only for cars and trucks, but will now also apply to gasoline engines in lawnmowers, chainsaws, and leaf blowers, as well as industrial applications.

Small engines used in such equipment for yard work, park, and forest management represent special challenges because they have to be individually adapted to the equipment’s use. That is why we need flexible catalytic converter systems that can be customized to the respective area of application.

Catalytic converter efficiency must be constantly developed and improved in order to ensure optimal system performance that can keep pace with stricter environmental legislation. Catalytic converter design, together with the interaction between a catalytically active surface coating and the carrier material, will play an increasingly important role in terms of efficiency.

Moreover, it is crucial to monitor new legislative developments and to offer products for the various markets that can comply with the respective country’s laws – ideally before the new laws go into effect.

Long-lasting catalytic converters

Long-lasting catalytic converters

Catalytic converters, especially for the small engine segment, must have a long service life. Defective catalytic converters in small engines may not be noticeable under certain circumstances. And if the defect is noticed, it shakes the customer’s trust in the product and has a negative impact on trust in the brand. Manufacturers of end-user devices must therefore pay closer attention to the long-term performance of built-in systems.

It’s not just about pollutants

It’s not just about pollutants

Catalytic converters are not just used to reduce toxic substances. In densely populated urban areas, industrial complexes are often located in close proximity to residential neighborhoods. Catalytic converters are also used in these areas to prevent unpleasant odors. This is not just about maintaining a good relationship between the manufacturing plant and the local residents; it is also about maintaining the company's reputation in the community.

Even in the home, reducing “bad air” is in everyone's interest. For example, catalytic converter systems are installed in ovens to prevent smells escaping from them, thereby improving the sales possibilities of such appliances in the luxury price segment.