Since the EPA started to regulate the emission coming from the exhaust systems of cars, majority of the car companies have incorporated the use of catalytic converters into its car’s engines. This equipment has helped in greatly reducing the toxic materials in the engine before releasing it out of the system. However, production of the catalytic converters requires the use of metals like platinum, rhodium and palladium, making it quite pricey to produce. But thanks to a discovery by Mazda, cost production of this car part could decrease in the near future.

Through the use of nanotechnology, Mazda has been able to develop catalytic converters by using fewer metals. Instead of using your regular metals like platinum, rhodium and palladium, Mazda made use of nanoparticles to cover the surface area of its catalytic converter. This shift in materials will greatly reduce the use of metals and help in cutting production costs of this automotive part. Aside from reducing cost, the use of nanoparticles could benefit people’s health. According to a study done in the US, the metallic properties of the catalytic converters contribute to the increase of allergies and asthma in the country.

Initially, Mazda was skeptical about using nanoparticles since the heat generated by the exhaust could cause these particles to collect and bundle together in masses on the ceramic bead surface. Once this happens, the surface area of the catalytic converter is reduced and can affect its performance. But Mazda claims to have been able to work through this problem by embedding the nanoparticles in a fixed position on the ceramic surface. How they were able to make it work though is something Mazda is tight-lipped about.

Incidentally, Mazda’s findings coincided with Nissan’s announcement where they claimed to have developed the same type of technology for their catalytic converters. One has to wonder whether Mazda announced its technological advancement just to keep up with their competitors. Nonetheless, if this type of production materializes, it would mean less consumption of metals and healthier living for us.

Sources: Nano Science Works, Physics Today

The Vision GLK Freeside—the new compact SUV from Mercedes Benz to be concept-launched at this month’s Detroit motor show—merges the on-road comfort Mercedes is known for with the best off-road values of the G-series.

Its new-gen diesel engine is a four-cylinder unit with a 2.2-liter displacement and a 125kW output, yet is capable of reduced consumption and emissions.

Augmenting emission reduction is Bluetec technology that utilizes not one but two catalytic converters: an oxidizing catalytic converter and an SCR catalytic converter. Included in this set-up is a maintenance-free particulate filter, as well as a system that injects an innocuous aqueous urea solution called AdBlue into the exhaust gas stream. This solution degrades up to 80 percent of the nitrogen oxides in the exhaust into harmless water and nitrogen.

Performance features include a 4Matic drivetrain that guarantees a 45:55 front-to-rear axle drive torque distribution; as well as ASR, 4ETS, and ESP dynamic handling control systems that balance safety and dynamics under any road condition. These are to control the power from the CDI powerplant with a rear camshaft drive that showcases fourth-generation common-rail direct injection. This feature has a 2,000-bar injection pressure as well as a two-stage turbocharger system.

Activating the ESP’s off-road function requires only a push of a “G” button in the center console; and a feature called Downhill Speed Regulation or DSR automatically keeps a pre-selected speed for extreme descents. Moreover, the Freeside’s Agility Control suspension has “amplitude dependent damping” that lets the suspension respond softly during normal driving and slow off-road jaunts, yet has the dampers provide a harder performance during abrupt evasion maneuvers and hard driving.

Other features include the latest from Mercedes-Benz, such as the intuitively-controlled Comand APS infotainment center, the Thermotronic 3-zone automatic climate control, the Intelligent Light System, and the preventative Pre-Safe safety concept.

Source: www.wheels24.co.za

It is always good to hear that further developments are being made in order to lessen air pollution from vehicles. Researches are continually being made and recently, the Environmental Solutions Worldwide, Inc. has given a statement that its subsidiary, which is the ESW Canada Inc., already signed an Emissions Control and Technologies Provider and Cooperation agreement with the International Truck and Engine Cooperation (ITEC). The ITEC is a company in line with the Navistar International Corporation that has a site in Warrenville, Illinois.

Recently, the ESWC has been operating with the International’s “Green Diesel Technology.” Word has it that the EDWC’s campaign, which is the Clean Cat™ Level I High Performance Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (HP-DOC) as well as the company’s Therma Cat™ Active Level III technology for catalytic converters are still being verified. The one tasked to verify these products are the Environmental Protection Agency or also known as the EPA and the California Air Resources Board or the CARB. Upon approval, this diesel catalytic converter of an International brand will be tagged as the “Green Diesel Technology.”

Although the new technology is said to benefit International’s bus as well as truck applications, it will also be made available for retrofit installations on OEM vehicles. The new catalyst technology will serve as a part of the portfolio for retrofit and service parts. According to David J. Johnson, who is ESW’s President and CEO, “[the] International will be a tremendous addition to our Company’s growing base of OEM customers and is another example of our desire to build strong partnerships in the diesel engine and vehicle manufacturing sector of the industry. This agreement is the next critical step in ESW’s continuing efforts to grow in the on-road emissions controls market and we believe marks a major event in our Company’s history. International, North America’s biggest diesel engine, truck and bus manufacturer, will provide our group with the largest demographic for retrofit, as well as first fit opportunities for our emissions reduction technologies. The agreement with International extends ESWC’s product distribution and provides a single source for specific technologies and services. It truly is a win-win relationship.”

Source: home.businesswire.com

Catalytic Converters are some of the top target auto parts of car thieves. Manufacturers use semi-precious metals, such as copper and platinum, for these pro-environment parts, thus making catalytic converters more valuable to sell. Recently, the Japanese automaker Mazda has announced that it has developed cheaper yet quality catalytic converters that could very well put a stop into catcon thieves.

Among the semi-precious materials of the present catalytic converters, the platinum has a bigger value. In fact, an ounce of this metal can already amount to as much as a thousand dollars. The Mazda Catalytic Converter, however, will use lesser platinum. With that, the catalytic converters, which car thieves are fond of, will no longer be that valuable. Moreover, owners with defective catcons will no longer have to spend much for replacements because the price of these new converters will cost less.

Thieves now might veer away from the Mazda Catalytic Converter because it will not have that much money value in it, but it will surely keep those noxious gases at a safer level.

Mazda owners and other motorists will still have to wait before these catcons are out in market.

Takeo Fukui, Honda’s President and CEO, proudly introduced two new clean diesel engines at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show.

The said engines belong to Honda’s well-developed second generation diesel family that carries on the name i-DTEC (intelligent Diesel TEChnology). The i-DTEC makes use of the world’s finest technology in order to reduce emissions to a level equal to that of a petrol engine.

Set to make an appearance in the United States within the next two years, Honda’s next generation super-clean diesel engine features an innovative Lean-burn NOx-reducing Catalyzer. This catalyzer makes use of ammonia to ‘detoxify’ NOx. Upon detoxifying the NOx, it turns into harmless nitrogen. Not like Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems, which makes use of Urea supplied from a storage tank, Honda’s technology uses ammonia generated directly within the catalytic converter.

It has a two-layer structure: one layer absorbs NOx from the exhaust gas. The NOx during periodic rich burn controlled by the engine management system reacts with hydrogen from the exhaust gas. This produces ammonia that is then absorbed by the second layer.

During lean burn operation, the ammonia is utilized to convert the remaining exhaust NOx into nitrogen. One may wonder why ammonia. It is because ammonia is a great reagent for reducing NOx into nitrogen in oxygen-rich, lean-burn atmospheres. The system also has the capacity to provide for more efficient NOx reduction in the most critical temperature range of 200-300°C for diesel engine exhaust systems.

Nissan Motor Company announced yesterday that it has developed a catalyst for gasoline cars that halves the use of precious metal components to clean tail-pipe emissions. The said catalyst promises big cost savings amid high commodity prices.

As Japan’s third-biggest automaker, Nissan, utilized nano-technology to prevent clustering of the fine metal particles present in catalysts under high temperature conditions, enabling the use of less material to clean exhaust emissions

Common automotive catalytic converters use catalysts that has a mix of platinum, rhodium and palladium to trigger a chemical reaction with polluting nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons to create non-toxic compounds.

Nissan released a statement that this new technology in the field of catalytic converters will be introduced in a new vehicle slated for launch in the second half of the business year ending in March 2009, and expanded into other models. Also, the said technology will be shared with French partner Renault SA.

Automakers have been hurt by rising commodity prices, booking bigger-than-expected raw material expenses for the latest quarter. In fact, the average platinum prices during April-June rose 9 per cent from a year-earlier, rhodium jumped 24 percent and palladium climbed 6 percent, as reported by Platinum Today.

A Dutch researcher takes a closer look on the new type of catalytic converter found in cars. The NOx Storage Reduction (NSR) catalytic converter the fuel is alternately combusted in the engine under oxygen-rich (lean) and fuel-rich (rich) conditions. Such diesel engines and ‘lean-burn’ petrol engines are more economical than conventional engines.

Vehicles with diesel and lean-burn petrol engines produce exhaust fumes that are particularly rich in oxygen and therefore the conventional three-way catalytic converter is not suitable for converting the generated NOx into nitrogen. The current trend is therefore to add specific components such as barium to the catalytic converter to store the NOx formed.

In this new type of NOx Storage Reduction (NSR) catalytic converter the diesel or petrol combustion in the engine takes place alternately over long oxygen-rich and short fuel-rich periods. During a long oxygen-rich period the generated NOx is stored in the barium component. When this component becomes saturated the catalyst is regenerated. This happens during the short fuel-rich period when an oxygen-poor emission gas is produced. The NOx stored is released and subsequently reduced to nitrogen over a precious metal such as platinum.

The researcher carried out experiments in a laboratory reactor containing the NSR catalyst. She studied the behavior of the catalyst, like the effect of the various forms in which barium occurs in the catalytic converter, the effect of the presence of carbon dioxide and water in the exhaust gas, and the effect of the various reducing agents, such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and ethylene on the NOx storage and reduction. The research has yielded important new insights with respect to the function of various components in the catalytic converter.