The environmental problems created by automotive pollution are well known. According to E.P.A. estimates, 45% of all acid rain and smog is caused by internal combustion engines. For this reason, there has been a long-felt need to develop devices which can significantly reduce pollution caused by automotive exhaust.
The exhaust gas of a gasoline or diesel engine typically contains high levels of SO.sub.x, NO.sub.x, HNO.sub.3 and H.sub.2 SO.sub.4. Certain attempts have been made to develop devices which can remove these pollutants, the most notable example being the electrostatic precipitating device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,157,479 issued to Boles on Nov. 17, 1964. This device addresses the problem of removing exhaust pollutants in a manner which is similar to the invention disclosed here. However, Boles' device does not address removal and disposal of pollutants in an environmentally sound manner, which is the key difference between the present invention and Boles.
Other than the present invention, no prior art devices are known which can effectively remove significant amounts of these kinds of pollutants in a cost-effective manner with little or no detrimental side-effect on the environment.