Cleaning Exhaust from Modern Engines.

PositionCATALYTIC CONVERTERS

As cars become more fuel efficient, less heat is wasted in the exhaust, which makes it harder to clean up the pollutants being emitted. Researchers at Washington State University, Pullman; The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque; and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Wash.; have created a catalytic converter capable of reducing pollutants at the lower temperatures expected in advanced engines.

Their work, published in Science, presents a new way to create a more-powerful catalyst while using smaller amounts of platinum--the most-expensive component of emission-control catalytic converters.

Catalytic converters have been an integral part of diesel- and gasoline-powered engines since the mid 1970s, when Federal regulations began requiring reductions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides. Catalytic converters turn the pollutants into benign gases, such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water.

The researchers addressed the daunting challenge of designing a catalytic converter that could endure engine exhaust temperatures of up to the nearly 750[degrees]C encountered under high engine loads. Yet, the catalytic converter still would have to work when an engine is started cold and must clean up the exhaust before reaching 150[degrees]--more than 100[degrees] less than current systems.

The lower operating temperatures during cold start are due to increasing...

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