Patent ID: 6840034

Claim:
An apparatus for reducing pollutants in internal combustion engine emissions, comprising: (a) a treatment chamber having an intake opening and an exhaust opening, said intake opening for receiving a stream of gaseous emissions from the engine, said exhaust opening for exhausting the stream of gaseous emissions from said chamber; (b) a metal tube disposed within said treatment chamber; (c) an electrode disposed within said metal tube in spaced apart relation to said metal tube, said electrode encircled by said metal tube so that, upon applying a voltage to said electrode, an arc is generated across the space between said electrode and said metal tube, said metal tube providing potential points of contact for the arc around the periphery thereof; and (d) arc generating means for generating the arc from said electrode to said metal tube at a predetermined frequency to promote a chemical reaction reducing the concentration of pollutants in the stream within said treatment chamber.