Many motorists want to improve the efficiency, and minimize the environmental impact, of their vehicle but can't afford to invest in the purchase of a hybrid or electric vehicle. One great option motorists can choose in order to maximize efficiency, without making such a big investment, is using a fuel catalyst treatment in their vehicle.

There are a number of advantages to using a fuel catalyst. The following are four important things to know about fuel catalyst treatments if you are interested in taking advantage of such a treatment for your vehicle: 

Fuel catalysts are used to make a vehicle more fuel efficient through more complete combustion.

Fuel in a typical gas or diesel engine will not usually exhibit complete combustion, yet partial combustion results in reduced efficiency. The overall goal of a fuel catalyst is to increase fuel efficiency by allowing for more complete combustion. Different fuel catalysts do this in slightly different ways. Generally, a fuel catalyst works by using catalysts that are either precious or noble metals. These metals react with fuel in ways that optimize combustion. 

Some fuel catalysts work by decreasing a fuel's oxygen requirements.

With a fuel catalyst, fuel doesn't require as much oxygen to burn properly. This makes it so that more energy is produced through combustion. A fuel catalyst can allow fuel to be burned at a lower temperature and thereby reduce the chances of overheating and minimize wear and tear on mechanical components. 

Fuel catalysts don't just optimize fuel usage, but also minimize emissions.

It's important to make note of the fact that a fuel catalyst doesn't only improve fuel efficiency by allowing for more complete combustion, fuel catalysts also make a vehicle run cleaner and give off fewer emissions. This is great news for drivers who want to minimize the environmental impact of their vehicles but don't have the money to purchase a more expensive hybrid or electric vehicle model. 

Fuel catalysts tend to work better for diesel engines.

Fuel catalysts are effective in both gas and diesel engines. However, the nature of diesel as opposed to gas makes it so that catalysts used in diesel engines tend to be more effective. Diesel catalysts are more effective because diesel engines work through a compression-ignition system as opposed to a spark-fired system as is the case with gas engines. Also, heavyweight fuels like diesel don't oxygenate as easily as lighter gas fuels, so this makes catalysts more effective for diesel engines.