A new way to get 45% diesel emissions reduction

coolvdub

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Apr 10, 2011
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SoCal/Bullhead City AZ
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2001 Jetta TDI/2013 JSW
Great read, I agree if this works out. It could really be a game changer. I wonder what the costs are going to be? I would readily change out my CAT to a newer one with this technology if and when it becomes available at a reasonable cost.

Don
 

brnsgrbr

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Oct 13, 2009
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Washington State
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2002 GOLF GTI converted to GTD
I wish these were available now as I am about to do my build.


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Windex

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Apr 1, 2006
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Cambridge
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05 B5V 01E FRF
Looks interesting, but as yet does not look commercially viable. Looking at their site, they speak of their "mullite" alternative to precious metals, but none of their data talks about it. The only graph does a comparison on precious metal AU/PT ratios, but does not talk about Mullite at all?

No mention of any test applications where emissions were reduced, nor talk of cost reductions vs precious metals. Some talk about reducing PT usage in favor of AU, but at $1600 an ounce, how much of a savings on a typical catalyst?

I'd galdly try one out on my Passat wagon, and report any emissions reductions at test time...
 

RNDDUDE

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Oct 29, 2011
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Valencia Ca.
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2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDI
Perhaps "mullite" quantities are in short supply because the supply chain for this material requires them to cruise thru the southern states and getting mullet-wearing guys to agree to cut off and sell their mullets!:D
 

STRANGETDI

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Sep 20, 2001
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East Hampton, CT
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2013 Audi A3 S-Line Premium Plus Quattro - APR Stage II
Scientists Develop New Material That Could Cut Diesel's Pollution By 45%

http://inhabitat.com/scientists-develop-new-material-that-could-cut-diesels-pollution-by-45/

A team of engineers has managed to identify a material that could reduce the amount of pollution produced by diesel fuel-powered vehicles by 45%. The new material comes from a family of minerals called oxides, and could serve as a cheaper and cleaner alternative to the rare and expensive platinum that is currently used in diesel engines.

The team, which is part of a company co-founded by a University of Texas at Dallas professor, published their results in the August 17th issue of Science. Dr. Kyeongjae “K.J.” Cho, professor of materials science and engineering and physics at UT Dallas, and his colleagues discovered that when an artificial version of oxide mullite was used instead of platinum, pollution was lowered by up to 45%.
“Many pollution control and renewable-energy applications require precious metals that are limited – there isn’t enough platinum to supply the millions and millions of automobiles driven in the world,” said Cho, a senior author of the study and co-founder of the company Nanostellar. “Mullite is not only easier to produce than platinum, but also better at reducing pollution in diesel engines.”
Diesel-powered cars, as compared to gasoline-versions, are cleaner and more efficient. However, the downside is that diesel vehicles produce more nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which are known as NOx pollutants. These were officially classed as carcinogenic in humans by the World Health Organization in June. In essence, diesel engine fumes are as toxic as cigarette smoke and asbestos.
It is Nanostellar’s aim to find catalysts through a material design that would replace platinum in reducing diesel exhaust. So far, they have designed and commercialized a platinum-gold alloy catalyst that is a viable alternative to platinum — though it was still expensive to produce. However, this is all set to change with mullite.
“We’ve found new possibilities to create renewable, clean energy technology by designing new functional materials without being limited by the supply of precious metals,” said Dr. Kyeongjae “K.J.” Cho. “Our goal to move completely away from precious metals and replace them with oxides that can be seen commonly in the environment has been achieved.”



 
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