DPF stands for diesel particulate filter. They feature solely in diesel cars and were introduced in 2009 to prevent soot, or particulate matter, given its correct name, from entering the atmosphere.
Diesel cars are renowned for producing a lot of this type of soot. It’s a contributor to respiratory problems and cardiovascular disease, so preventing excessive amounts from entering the air that we breathe, is essential.
New Euro 5 exhaust emissions legislation was introduced at that time to lower CO2 emissions and made DPF use mandatory. All-new diesel cars manufactured after that time had to include a DPF.
The Diesel Particulate Filter traps the harmful diesel gases that get cleaned regularly by a process called DPF regeneration. In fact, the collected diesel soot particles are burnt off at high temperatures, which results in an “ash-like” after product. Therefore, after the regenerating of the DPF, it can now restart the cycle of collecting harmful exhaust gases again.