Performances of a catalytic foam trap for soot abatement

A catalytic trap for soot particles was prepared by deposition of Cu-V-K-Cl catalyst on a ceramic foam. Catalytic: trap performances were evaluated by treating the exhaust of a gas oil burner under different operating conditions. The results obtained showed that ceramic foam is a particularly suitable support for this application since it yields low gas pressure drop, good soot collection efficiency ("deep bed" filtration mechanism), high thermal shock resistance and good contact throughout the filter between soot particles and catalyst surface. In addition, the catalytic foam trap is able to spontaneously regenerate at operating conditions comparable to those typical of diesel engine exhaust and after more than 70 test hours it retains its activity towards soot oxidation. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.