Ford Motor Company Limited

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

William L Watkins

Mohinder S Chattha

Haren S Gandhi

Somasundaram Subramanian

Jeffrey Scott Hepburn

Christian Thomas Goralski, Jr

Douglas Allen Dobson

John H Li

Carolyn Parks Hubbard

Chaitanya Kumar Narula

Eva Thanasiu

George Wade Graham

Mordecai Shelef

Harendra S Gandhi

Robert Walter McCabe

Robert J Kudla

Thomas J Korniski

Henryk K Stepien

Rengin K Usmen

Eugene C Su

A lean NOtrap composition. The lean NOtrap composition utilizes ruthenium in place of higher cost metals such as platinum. The lean NOtrap composition provides high NOstorage efficiency and high NOconversion efficiency when incorporated in a lean NOtrap. A method of removing harmful gases using the lean NOtrap composition is also described.

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The present invention provides a method of removing harmful gases from an automobile exhaust. The method of the invention comprises contacting a thermally stable NOtrap composition with a first exhaust gas mixture at a temperature of at least 200&#xb0; C. The first exhaust gas mixture includes exhaust gases from an internal combustion engine operating in a fuel-lean condition. After, NOhas been absorbed onto the NOabsorber material, the NOtrap composition is then contacted with a second exhaust gas composition. In this step, the second exhaust gas mixture includes exhaust gases from an internal combustion engine operating in a fuel-rich condition. The present invention also provides the NOtrap composition used in the method. The NOtrap of the invention includes a precious metal, a NOabsorber material, an oxide that inhibits the decrease in NOstoring ability of the NOtrap composition, and a support material.

Thermally stable lean nox trap

The invention is a method of treating exhaust gases generated by an internal combustion engine using a NOx trap in the exhaust gas system. The method comprises locating a nitrogen oxide trap in the exhaust gas passage and cycling the air/fuel ratio of the exhaust gases entering the trap between lean and rich, such that the trap absorbs nitrogen oxides during the lean cycle and desorbs the nitrogen oxides when the concentration of the oxygen in the exhaust gas is lowered as during a rich cycle. The trap comprises: (a) a tri-metal oxides made of aluminum-manganese-zirconium and (b) at least 0.1 wt. % platinum, the wt. % being based on the weight of said tri-metal oxide material. The desorbed nitrogen oxides may be converted over the precious metal to N.sub.2 and O.sub.2 by reductants like hydrocarbons present in the exhaust gas. The invention is also the catalyst trap material.

NOx trap catalyst for lean burn engines

The invention is a nitrogen oxide trap comprising a porous support; and catalysts comprising platinum and either sodium, potassium, or their mixture loaded on the porous support. The sodium, potassium, or sodium/potassium mixture is present in a significantly high loading of at least 30 weight percent, and the platinum comprises 0.2-3 weight percent, based on the weight of the porous support. The trap may be used in an internal combustion engine exhaust gas catalyst system. During lean-burn operation of the engine the trap sorbs nitrogen oxides (NOx) and releases the nitrogen oxides during decreased oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas, the desorbed NOx being converted to N.sub.2 and O.sub.2.

Sulfur tolerant NO.sub.x traps highly loaded with sodium or potassium

The present invention broadly relates to a catalyst for promoting the oxidation-reduction reactions of the exhaust gases produced by an internal combustion engine wherein the catalyst comprises; tungsten oxide, a basic metal oxide, and a noble metal. More narrowly, the present invention relates to a catalyst for promoting oxidation-reduction reactions with the exhaust gases produced by internal combustion engine wherein the catalyst comprises; a composite oxide comprised of a refractory oxide, tungsten oxide in juxtaposed relation with the refractory oxide, and a basic metal oxide in juxtaposed relation with the tungsten oxide; and arrayed on the composite oxide a noble metal.

Composite catalysts for hydrocarbon oxidation

The invention is a nitrogen oxide trap comprising a porous support; and catalysts consisting of manganese and potassium loaded on the porous support. The trap may be used in an internal combustion engine exhaust gas catalyst system. During lean-burn operation of the engine the trap sorbs nitrogen oxides and releases the nitrogen oxides during decreased oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas.

Potassium/manganese nitrogen oxide traps for lean-burn engine operation

The invention is a nitrogen oxide trap comprising a porous support; and catalysts comprising platinum and lithium loaded on the porous support, the lithium being present in a high loading of at least 10 weight percent based on the weight of the porous support. The trap may be used in an internal combustion engine exhaust gas catalyst system. During lean-burn operation of the engine the trap sorbs nitrogen oxides (NOx) and releases the nitrogen oxides during decreased oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas, the desorbed NOx being converted to N.sub.2 and O.sub.2.

Sulfur tolerant Pt/lithium NOx traps

The invention is a nitrogen oxide trap comprising a porous support loaded with 6-15 wt. % strontium oxide and thereon, a mixture of: 0.5-5 wt. % precious metal catalyst selected from platinum, palladium, rhodium or mixtures thereof loaded, 3.5-15 wt. % zirconium and 15-30 wt. % sulfate, where preferably the ratio of zirconium to sulfate ranges from about 1:1 to 1:7; each wt. % being individually based on the weight of the support. The trap may be used in an internal combustion engine exhaust gas catalyst system. During lean-burn operation of the engine the trap sorbs nitrogen oxides (NOx) and releases the nitrogen oxides during decreased oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas, the desorbed NOx being converted to N.sub.2 and O.sub.2.

Zirconia and sulfate in NOx traps to improved trapping and sulfur

The invention is a nitrogen oxide trap separate catalyst phases. One of the phases is platinum on a porous support and another is alkali metal or elements and alkaline earth elements on another porous support. The phases may be provided as an intimate mixture or as layers in the trap. The trap may be used in an internal combustion engine exhaust gas catalyst system. During lean-burn operation of the engine the trap adsorbs nitrogen oxides and releases the nitrogen oxides during decreased oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas.

Nox trap with improved performance

This invention is a method for preparing an automotive catalyst system. It comprises the steps of providing a substrate, providing a gamma-alumina support material, depositing a lanthana precursor and calcining the precursor, depositing an oxygen storage material precursor like ceria precursor and calcining this precursor material, and subsequently depositing catalytic material like platinum on the oxygen storage material. The alumina may be initially washcoated on the substrate or at any stage after deposition of the lanthana precursor.

Automotive catalysts with improved oxygen storage and metal dispersion

A three-way catalyst for automotive emission control having a mechanical carrier having a support comprised substantially of alumina, a catalytic compound supported on said carrier having a major constituent of palladium, and a discontinuous phase of titanium oxide on or adjacent substantially each exposed particle of the catalytic compound. A method of making a three-way catalyst for automotive emission control, comprising: impregnating with palladium a mechanical carrier having a support comprised substantially of alumina to produce a composite having 0.05-5.0% palladium; and impregnating the composite with an organo-titanium compound and decomposing such impregnated compound to form a discontinuous titanium oxide phase on or adjacent the exposed portions of said composite.

Three-way catalyst for automotive emission control

A catalyst having high temperature (800.degree.-1050.degree. C.) stability and improved three-way automotive exhaust gas catalyst activity at high temperatures, comprising an outer catalytic coating of binary La-Pd oxide (La.sub.2 Pd.sub.2 O.sub.5 or La.sub.4 PdO.sub.7) calcined and supported on a catalyst-supporting substrate, the oxide being present in an amount to provide 15-150 g of Pd per cubic foot of the substrate A method of making binary La-Pd oxides useful as an automotive exhaust catalyst operative at high temperatures, comprising heating in an oxidizing atmosphere a mixture containing La compounds and Pd compounds in a La:Pd ratio of 1:1 or 4:1, the heating being staged to first heat slowly from about 50.degree. C. to start decomposition of the compounds and thereafter retaining the residue at an elevated temperature to stimulate growth of crystalline binary La-Pd oxides and to calcine the crystalline oxides. A method of making an automotive catalyst by suspending binary La-Pd oxides in a sol (preferably alumina sol) and depositing and fixing such sol suspension on a substrate coated with conventional washcoats.

Binary LA-PA oxide catalyst and method of making the catalyst

This invention is directed to a method of providing a channeled substrate with a porous washcoat used as a supporting structure for a catalyst. The substrate is coated with a reactive mixture made of components comprising aluminum alkoxide, water, and acid or the alkoxide in an alcohol. The aluminum alkoxide contains hydrolyzable alkoxy groups and has the chemical formula: Al(OR).sub.3, where R is an alkyl or branched alkyl group of 3 to 6 carbon atoms. The method also includes drying and calcining the coating to form a .gamma.-alumina washcoat.

Aluminum oxide catalyst supports from alumina sols

A three-way catalyst system for treating the exhaust stream of a compressed natural gas (CNG) fueled engine operating slightly rich of stoichiometry, the said catalyst system providing high conversions and low light-off temperature for the removal of HC, CO, and NO.sub.x. A high surface area gamma alumina support is impregnated with an intimate mixture of 0.2-30% Pd and 0.5-20% La.sub.2 O.sub.3, the Pd being in crystalline form with particle size in the range of 5-500 angstroms. A method of making such catalyst system comprising sequentially impregnating a high surface area gamma alumina support with lanthana and palladium by incipient wetness techniques, such techniques comprising the procedure of contacting alumina first with a lanthanum nitrate solution of desired concentration to obtain 0.5-20% lanthana, contacting the lanthana impregnated alumina with a palladium nitrate solution of desired concentration to obtain a 0.2-30% palladium content in the catalyst, each of said steps being separated by drying and calcination. A method of treating exhaust gas from a CNG fueled engine with the catalyst system described above, comprising: (a) operating said engine at slightly rich of stoichiometry; (b) exposing such catalyst to the exhaust gases in the range of 400.degree.-750.degree. C. and at a space velocity in the range of 0-100K hr.sup.-1, said exhaust gas being converted at an efficiency greater than 90% for each of NO, CO, and CH.sub.4.

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Toledo, OH, United States of America

William L Watkins