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CATALYSTS FOR METHANE VEHICLES
Phone: (303) 422-7819
THE USE OF NATURAL GAS VEHICLES (NGVS) IS EXPECTED TO GROW RAPIDLY OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, WITH A POTENTIAL MARKET OF 1.7 MILLION UNITS PER YEAR. ALTHOUGH NGVS EMIT LESS CO AND NON-METHANE HYDROCARBONS THAN GASOLINE-FUELED VEHICLES, THEIR TOTAL HYDROCARBON EMISSIONS ARE QUITE HIGH. THESE EMISSIONS CONSIST PRIMARILY OF METHANE, WHICH IS NOT CURRENTLY REGULATED, BUT IS EXPECTED TO BE REGULATED IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS. BECAUSE MEHTNAE IS VERY UNREACTIVE, CONVENTIONAL PLATIMUN-BASED CATALYTIC CONVERTERS MUST BE OPERATED AT TEMPERATURES WELL IN EXCESS OF 500 DEGREES CENTIGRADE. THESE HIGH TEMPERATURES LEAD TO SINTERING OF THE CATALYST, LOSS OF SURFACE AREA, AND RAPID DEACTIVATION. THERE ARE NO CATALYSTS AVAILABLE WITH THE NECESSARY ACTIVITY AND STABILITY FOR LONG-TERM USE ON NGVS. A NEW CLASS OF CATALYSTS WITH THE ABILITY TO OXIDIZE METHANE AT LOWER TEMPERATURES THAN ARE CURRENTLY POSSIBLE IS BEING SYNTHESIZED AND TESTED. THIS WILL ALLOW OPERATION AT TEMPERATURES WHERE SINTERING IS NOT A PROBLEM, ALLOWING CATALYST LIFE TO BE IMPROVED. THE EFFECT ON THE EMISSIONS OF METHANE-FUELED VEHICLES IS BEING EVALUATED.
* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *