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Starting or stopping

Corning Incorporated of the US has introduced an automobile pollution-control system aimed at controlling cold start emissions. These emissions spew hydrocarbons in the first few minutes after starting the engine and before the catalytic converter becomes hot enough to operate. Cold start emissions account for 70-80 per cent of the pollution from a converter- equipped vehicle. Corning has used zeolite -a gas-trapping mineral crystal of alumina and silica -to trap the escaping hydrocarbons until the converter springs into action.

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