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IIC experts discuss science of reducing diesel engine emissions in catalysis journal

(September 2008)

Experts at EMSL are working to reduce harmful emissions of nitrogen oxides from diesel engines.

Diesel engines could improve the fuel economy of vehicles by 25 to 35% compared to gasoline engines; however, the current catalytic converters do not effectively reduce engine emissions of nitrogen oxides or NO_x. Nitrogen oxide emissions can cause health and environmental problems.

In the July 2008 issue of Catalysis Today, seven experts from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Institute of Interfacial Catalysis wrote invited papers on their research to improve catalysts for diesel engines:

• IIC interim director Chuck Peden, one of the three guest editors for the edition, co-wrote the preface for the issue.
• Christelle Verrier, Ja Hun Kwak, Do Heui Kim, Chuck Peden, and János Szanyi examined the NO_x storage properties of several alkaline earth oxides supported on the common catalyst support material γ-Al₂O₃.
• Darrel Herling and János Szanyi along with Emrah Ozensoy of the Bilknet University in Ankara, Turkey, wrote on their studies of dimethyl ether as a reducing agent for the selective catalytic reduction of NO_x with hydrocarbons.
• Do Heui Kim, Ja Hun Kwak, Xianqin Wang, János Szanyi, and Chuck Peden described research on promoting the stability of lean-NO_x trap catalysts by limiting platinum sintering during sulfur removal processes.

The work by Kim et al. and Verrier et al. was funded by the DOE, Office of Freedom Car and Vehicle Technologies. The work of Ozensoy et al. was funded by DOE's Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences and the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey.

References: Epling WS, I Nova, and CHF Peden. 2008. "Preface." Catalysis Today 136(1-2):1-2.

Kim DH, JH Kwak, X Wang, J Szanyi, and CHF Peden. 2008. "Sequential high temperature reduction, low temperature hydrolysis for the regeneration of sulfated NO_x trap catalysts." Catalysis Today 136(1-2):183-187.

Ozensoy E, DR Herling, and J Szanyi. 2008. "NO_x reduction on a transition metal-free γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst using dimethylether (DME)." Catalysis Today 136(1-2):46-54.

Verrier CLM, JH Kwak, DH Kim, CHF Peden, and J Szanyi. 2008. "NO_x uptake on alkaline earth oxides (BaO, MgO, CaO and SrO) supported on γ-Al₂O₃." Catalysis Today 136(1-2):121-127.