Understand the catalytic combustor inside your woodburning appliance and how it works

a. What is the composition of a catalytic combustors?
Most catalytic combustors for wood burning stoves are made of a high temperature,honeycomb patterned, ceramic substrate. They are coated with special noble metals. The honeycomb pattern gives the combustor surface area for the catalytic coatings. The noble metals used are palladium/ or platinum.

b. How do they work? Normally, smoke will burn or oxidize, at a temperature of 1000 degrees or higher. Burning a stove this hot would require continuous intense fire and would require a higher wood consumption. The answer to eliminate this is the catalytic combustor.
Wood smoke gases coming in contact with the, cause chemical changes to take place.
This will then allow the smoke to ignite at temperatures around 500 degrees F. or (260 degrees C.) This temperature is easily achieved in the firebox of a wood burning stove. As the wood gases ignite and burn within the catalytic combustor, clean by-products of water vapor (H2O) and carbon dioxide (C02) are emitted.