A team of Yale – NUS College researchers, in collaboration with some scientists from Sweden, discovered bisulfate compounds in the exhaust stream, which are directly responsible for decreasing the effectiveness of diesel catalysts.
The discovery will undoubtedly be revolutionary by setting the base for more sulfur-tolerant catalysts and improving regeneration methods for diesel particle filters.
The outcome will be healthier, safer to breathe air thanks to a decrease in nitrogen oxide gases produced by diesel engines, which will also ultimately decrease pollution.
Explanation
The team of researchers used in-situ temperature-dependent Cu K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy to observe how sulfur oxides affect the copper-exchanged chabazite framework (Cu-CHA) compound catalysts.
Catalysts that are formed from copper-exchanged zeolites with a chabazite framework (Cu-CHA) are considered the most efficient and reliable ways to decrease the emission of nitrogen oxides by diesel engines at the moment.
However, some studies proved that Cu-CHA – based catalysts get reduced efficiency if they come in contact with sulfur oxides that are present in the diesel exhaust gas. That is a problem because the catalyst ends up being less effective than it was designed to be over time.
Scientists are trying to improve Diesel engine catalysts since the days of the Diesel engine on regular street cars might be numbered.
One of the scientists behind the study said:
“More efficient and robust exhaust remediation catalysts benefit the environment by reducing the emission of nitrogen oxides and enabling the use of more efficient engines, cutting overall carbon emission. This helps to reduce the impact of the continued short-term use of fossil fuels, and speed our transition to carbon-neutral biofuels.”
Future Research
Future advancements are possible to determine how the adverse effects can be avoided.
The research will probably result in more effective catalysts for biodiesel-fueled cars.
