Pollution Control Technology for Use with High Sulfur Fuels
DOD/Army Phase I SBIR Contract W56HZV-07-C-0091
The state-of-the-art pollution control technologies for highway diesel engines are the NOx storage–release (NSR) trap and the catalytic diesel particulate filter (CDPF). The NSR incorporates precious metal and basic functions for oxidizing NO and adsorbing NO2. This makes the device vulnerable to sulfur oxides in exhaust gas; the adsorber is irreversibly poisoned at fuel sulfur levels of >15 ppm and requires using ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD). Because of the sulfur levels of JP 8, pollution control devices employed in civilian automobiles are not applicable to the military.
Eltron is conducting research in sulfur-tolerant catalytic technology for after-treatment of exhausts from logistic fueled engines. The technology is based on a passive, lean NOx catalyst that has demonstrated activity greatly exceeding that of competing passive, lean NOx catalysts for removing NOx from diesel exhaust, at an estimated cost of ~$350 (versus ~$1,400 for a catalytic NOx trap) for a heavy vehicle. Current research focuses on validating previous results, optimizing catalysts, and testing the catalyst in the exhaust of an engine operating on logistic fuel. Subsequent R&D will demonstrate a retrofit catalyst that outperforms existing technologies and minimizes costs, while transitioning the technology to the Army procurement system.
At the conclusion of the overall effort, we will have developed a sulfur tolerant diesel exhaust after-treatment technology for nitrogen oxides abatement. The technology would be the only technology of its kind available and would be less expensive than existing NSR technology. We anticipate that the technology would be applicable to both on- and off-road diesel retrofit markets. The technology will also be applicable to exhausts from lean burn gasoline engines, natural gas fired boilers and turbines, and coal-fired combustion sources and has already garnered the interest of a major catalyst manufacturer.