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The regulations for mobile applications will become stricter in Euro 6 and further emission levels and require the use of active aftertreatment methods for NOX and particulate matter. SCR and LNT have been both used commercially for mobile NOX removal. An alternative system is based on the combination of these two technologies. Developments of catalysts and whole systems as well as final vehicle demonstrations are discussed in this study. The small and full-size catalyst development experiments resulted in PtRh/LNT with optimized noble metal loadings and Cu-SCR catalyst having a high durability and ammonia adsorption capacity. For this study, an aftertreatment system consisting of LNT plus exhaust bypass, passive SCR and engine independent reductant supply by on-board exhaust fuel reforming was developed and investigated. The concept definition considers NOX conversion, CO2 drawback and system complexity.

Stricter emission limitations for NOx and particulates in mobile diesel applications will require the combinations of active aftertreatment methods like Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF), Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) with urea and Lean NOx Trap (LNT) in the 2010's. A new concept is the combination of LNT+SCR, which enables on-board synthesis of ammonia (LNT), which is then removed on the SCR catalyst. The main application for this kind system will be light-duty vehicles, where LNTs are already used and the low temperature deNOx is a main target. That combinatory system was investigated by developing and selecting PtRh/LNT and SCR catalysts for that particulate application, where the maximum temperature may reach 800°C and SCR should proceed without NO2 assistance. Pt-rich, PtRh/LNT with reasonable high loadings above 80g/cft resulted in a high NOx efficiency in the experimental laboratory conditions which created also on LNTs a higher NH3 concentration for the SCR unit.

The aim of this work was to combine different surface analytical techniques to study the effect of thermal/hydrothermal aging on the surface micro-structure and catalytic efficiency of the metallic Kemira three-way catalysts, which contained different stabilizers (Si, Zr, La, Ba and their mixtures) as additives. One commercial ceramic and one commercial metallic catalyst were also tested and analyzed as a comparison. In summary, it can be stated that the performance of catalysts cannot be predicted solely on the basis of some separate properties i.e. BET area, noble metal dispersion or crystal sizes of the washcoat components. The results of different analyses (XRD, XPS, SEM/STEM and chemisorption) must be combined in order to fully understand the catalyst characteristics. However, the best performance was obtained with the samples with small crystals of both Pt and CeO2 dispersed in an amorphous alumina. At high aging temperatures, the crystal growth of all components takes place.

The latest emission regulations for mobile and stationary applications require the use of aftertreatment methods for NOx and diesel particulate filters (DPF) for particulate matter (PM). SCR catalysts were evaluated by laboratory experiments and the most promising SCR catalysts were also scaled up to full-size. Development with copper (Cu) and iron (Fe) on zeolitic materials (Beta, ZSM-5, SAPO, chabazite) has resulted in the new generation of thermally durable SCR (selective catalytic reduction) catalysts, which have also an improved sulfur tolerance and a low N2O formation tendency. Opposite to Cu on Beta and ZSM-5, Cu on chabazite and SAPO showed clearly lower N2O formation. Cu-SCR catalysts had a low dependency on NO2/NOx but Fe-SCR catalysts required a higher NO2/NOx ratio (>0.3) to keep a high NOx efficiency.

The tightening pollutant emission limits require the use of active aftertreatment methods for NOx and particulate matter (PM). Diesel particulate filter (DPF) is a part of commercial aftertreatment system (ATS). PM accumulated in DPF is continuously passively or periodically actively regenerated with the assistance of efficient diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC) having a high efficiency and durability in hydrocarbon (HC), NO and CO oxidation reactions. A high HC concentration during fuel feeding in active regeneration is demanding for DOC. The deactivation in air, hydrothermal, sulfation and active regeneration conditions were evaluated with platinum (Pt-) and platinum-palladium (PtPd)-DOCs by laboratory simulations using the ageing temperature and time as primary variables. The oxidizing conditions with a high oxygen concentration without HCs were deactivating DOCs clearly more than active regeneration conditions with a low oxygen and high HC concentration at 700-800°C.

The emission regulations for mobile off-road applications are following on-road trends by a short delay. The latest Stage 3B and 4 emission limits mean a gradual implementation of oxidation and SCR catalysts as well as particulate filters with off-road machines/vehicles in the 2010s. The driving conditions and test cycles differ from on-road truck applications which have been the first design base for off-road aftertreatment technologies. Aftertreatment systems for Stage 4 were first analyzed and they will include oxidation catalysts, a NOx reduction catalyst (SCR or LNT), a particulate filter and possibly units for urea hydrolysis and ammonia slip removal. The design and durability of V₂O₅/TiO₂-WO₃ catalysts based on metallic substrates were investigated by engine bench and field experiments. NOx emissions were measured with 6.6 and 8.4 liters engines designed for agricultural and industrial machinery.

The emission regulations for mobile applications become stricter in Euro-IV to Euro-VI levels. Carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon can be removed by efficient Diesel Oxidation Catalysts (DOC) but Particulate Matter (PM) and NOx are more demanding requiring the use of active methods (urea-SCR and DPF) which will be world-wide implemented in the 2010's. Durable, coated V-SCR catalysts are based on stabilized raw materials and tailored preparation methods. Coated V2O5/TiO2-WO3 catalysts (ceramic 300/400 cpsi and metallic 500/600 cpsi) were evaluated by laboratory and engine bench experiments. Traditional V-SCR catalysts are durable up to about 600°C and have a high efficiency at 300°C-500°C. SCR activities were tailored to be higher also at 200°C-300°C or 500°C-600°C. The use of thermal stabilizers or the vanadium loading variation enabled the changes in operation window and stability.

The emission regulations for mobile applications will become stricter in Euro 4 - 6 levels and require the use of active aftertreatment methods (deNOx and DPF) in addition to passively operating diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC). Vanadium-SCR (V-Selective Catalytic Reduction) catalysts based on stabilized TiO₂-WO₃ raw materials and tailored preparation methods were first evaluated by the laboratory experiments. Conventional V-SCR catalysts were durable up to about 600°C but the developed catalyst stand hydrothermal ageing up to 700°C without losses of activity. Simultaneously, the performance at 250 - 450°C was about the same as with the traditional V-SCR catalyst and the SCR selectivity at 450 - 600°C was high with a low NH₃ oxidation tendency. Coated V₂O₅/TiO₂-WO₃ catalysts (ceramic and metallic substrates) were evaluated with a 4.9 L engine by engine bench experiments.

Stricter emission limitations for NOx and particulates in mobile applications will require the use of active aftertreatment methods like Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF), Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) with urea and Lean NOx Trap (LNT) as combinations in the 2010's. Due to the significant total space and required investments, a lot of efforts have been focused recently on the optimization of the combinatory aftertreatment systems (ATS). In this study the possibilities to intensify the catalytic ATS were analyzed and reviewed by the examples and studies with engines, laboratory reactors and simulations. The focus was on diesel applications, where the number of needed ATS units is the widest. The diesel engine modifications on SCR or EGR engines have to be also designed together with ATS. The intensification includes the principles of down-sizing and the integration of ATS units with control systems.

The paper introduces a new catalytic formulation to improve the performance of 3-way catalyst. This new palladium-only catalyst concept (K4) was designed specifically for low temperature light-off and high temperature applications. The catalysts employed in this study were prepared on metallic substrates of nominal cell density of 78 cells/cm2 (cpscm). To assess the effect of the cell density on the performance, the cell densities of 47 - 186 cpscm were also used. The catalysts were evaluated after the engine dynamometer aging and the on-road aging for 80.000 km. Several physical and chemical methods were used to analyse the washcoat layer. The elements and distribution of the poisons in the catalyst were analysed. The catalytic activities of both fresh and aged samples were measured also in laboratory tests.

The use of biofuels in internal combustion engines changes the composition of the engine exhaust gas. When burning a biofuel blend, significant amounts of oxygenated hydrocarbons such as alcohols, ethers and aldehydes are present in the exhaust gas. It is known, that these compounds influence catalytic processes in exhaust gas converters. In this work we propose a global kinetic model for ethanol and acetaldehyde oxidation on commonly used Pt, PtPd and Pd-based catalytic oxidation converters of automobile exhaust gases. The mechanism is based on two steps: (i) partial oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde, and (ii) complete oxidation of acetaldehyde to CO₂ and H₂O. Kinetic parameters of ethanol and acetaldehyde reactions are evaluated on the basis of laboratory light-off experiments with several catalytic monolith samples (noble metal loading 9-140 g/cft; Pt, Pd, and PtPd; at space velocity 30 000-240 000 h-₁).

To reach close to zero tailpipe NOx emissions, a double-SCR (selective catalytic reduction) system is proposed. In that, the first SCR unit would be placed upstream of the diesel particulate filter (DPF) and the second SCR unit downstream of DPF. This study focused on the experiments of the first SCR unit. The experiments were conducted utilizing a new, 4.4-liter heavy duty diesel engine that was connected to a research facility for studying after-treatment systems in controlled environment. Three different SCR’s: a vanadium-based SCR (V-SCR), a copper-based SCR (Cu-SCR) and a vanadium-based SCR including an ammonia slip catalyst (V-SCR+ASC) were studied. Studies were done at different exhaust temperatures from 215°C to 350°C. Emissions of NO, NO2, NH3, N2O, CO, CO2 and hydrocarbons were measured by FTIR. Particulate emissions (PM, PN) were studied as a part of the experiments. The results showed that the three SCR units performed differently.