B3000 2WD V6-3.0L OHV (1994)
THE REDUCTION REACTION
Reduction is the opposite of oxidation, or the chemical removal of oxygen from a material. The reduction reaction changes (NOx) to harmless
nitrogen (N) and carbon dioxide (CO2) by chemically moving the oxygen from the (NOx) compound to the (CO) compound. The catalytic element
required for the reduction process is rhodium.
The Three-Way Catalytic Converter (TWC) is designed to reduce all three exhaust pollutants, but works best to reduce (NOx) when the (CO)
level of the exhaust is between 0.8 and 1.5 percent. As the (CO) level increases or decreases from that percentage, the TWC converters efficiency
decreases. Exhaust gas first passes through the catalyst, where (NOx) is reduced to (N2) and (CO2); then through the catalyst where (HC) and
(CO) are changed to (H2O) and (CO2).