Demonstration of a base metal Low-temperature Catalytic converter for deNOx (LowCat Demo)

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Poor air quality results in around 400,000 excess deaths per year in Europe. In 2017, 39 % of NOx emissions were from road transport, with a further 45 % from sectors which include combustion or chemical processing. 86 % of observations which exceed EU air quality legislation regarding ambient NO2 concentrations were made at roadside stations, with 98 % of these in urban or suburban areas. Diesel powered vehicles and machines are one of the major sources of NOx pollutions. Though the sales of pure petrol and diesel vehicles will be banned in 2030 according to the Prime Minister's ten point plan, the policy only applies to light duty vehicles. For heavy duty vehicles and machines, diesel engines will still be the main powertrains in the foreseeable future. There are various technologies for NOx emissions control from diesel engines. SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) as one of the major deNOx technologies has been used in HDVs for more than a decade. However, the NOx conversion efficiency of SCR at low temperature (<200 oC) is poor (less than 50%). In addition, the high cost of SCR catalyst has hindered its wide application in small to medium engines. This project has developed an iron silicate material, originally intended as an analogue for meteoric material in Venus' atmosphere, which we have shown to be effective in catalysing the selective reduction of exhaust NOx over N2. The material shows a remarkable ability to catalyse the reduction of NO2 at low (including ambient) temperatures, so we refer to it as LowCat. The aim of this project is to scale up production of this low-cost novel catalyst, improve and consolidate its advantages on low temperature NOx conversion and demonstrate its conversion efficiency and cost effectiveness in real world applications. The ultimate goal of the project is to contribute to better urban air quality and improve human health and well-being.