The objective of our research is to develop an advanced nano-catalytic system for car exhaust pollution control. By using high performance, high temperature resistance nonwoven polymers as our support and nanoparticle catalysts CuOx-CoOx/PrOx embedded within; this system can capture and convert all forms of hydrocarbons, CO, SO2, nitric oxides, and heavy metals in the exhaust gas. Over the years, automakers have made many refinements to car engines and fuel systems to reduce the harmful pollutants. The major change came about in 1975 called a catalytic converter. Since 1996 all automakers were mandated to install automatic devices to monitor the emissions coming in and out from their catalytic convertors. This was part of global �Clean Air Act� and was made to reduce air pollution due to car exhausts. Unfortunately, besides the high cost of its precious metal catalysts, the efficiency of eliminating toxic exhaust of traditional catalytic converters up to date is between 70 to 90 percent majorly owing to regular catalytic converters only work at a fairly high temperature. The noble metal catalysts begin to operate at around 287oC and the efficient purification does not take place until the catalysts reach 450oC. Therefore before the engine warms up, the catalytic converter does almost nothing to reduce the pollution in the exhaust. Also, catalytic converters in diesel engines do not work as well in reducing nitric oxides due to diesel engines run cooler than standard engines. As a result, it is very difficult to control toxic exhaust emitted from heavy commercial trucks. We have developed low temperature nanoparticulate catalysts that are able to start working at 20 oC.  It can achieve its optimal catalytic capacity lower than 250 oC, therefore it should be a much more promising system to minimize cold-start emissions compared to a traditional catalytic converter.

Low temperature catalysis for cold-start emission abatement

247th National Meeting (2014)

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