Grant: Strategic Projects - Group
University of British Columbia
$130,000.00
Novel Catalysts for Low Temperature Methane Oxidation
FY 2011-12
Summary
Natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4) is an abundant, cleaner-burning fuel than gasoline, particularly when combined with hydrogen (H2). Westport Innovations Inc. of Vancouver, BC is a world-leading company that provides technology to transform diesel engines to operate on natural gas, biogas, propane, and hydrogen, with a focus on medium and heavy duty vehicles such as transit buses, delivery vehicles, refuse collection trucks, and large highway trucks. A significant impediment to the widespread implementation of natural gas in combustion engines is that unburned CH4 expelled in the exhaust is a significant greenhouse gas with a potency more than ~25 times that of carbon dioxide. Traditional catalytic converters, optimized for reducing oxides of nitrogen (NOx), unburned hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide, are not efficient at methane
oxidation, especially at the low to moderate exhaust gas temperatures (150 to 500 °C) of diesel-cycle engines. In order to reduce the CH4 content in the exhausts from these vehicles, it is crucial to develop new catalysts that can operate at <500 C and efficiently oxidize methane. Our aim is to develop new materials for low-temperature CH4 oxidation, and to investigate their ability to function as methane oxidation catalysts. Three new classes of materials will be developed: (a) highly porous metal oxides, (b) monodisperse platinum group metal (PGM) nanoparticles and (c) hybrid PGM/metal oxide nanoparticles. The most promising of the new materials will be identified through laboratory-scale reaction tests that simulate exhaust gas conditions. The best catalysts will be incorporated into the monolith of a prototype catalytic converter and evaluated using
an engine dynamometer that provides the operating conditions relevant for proper assessment of automobile emission control devices. This proposal targets new emission reduction technologies and we anticipate that in the course of this project, new materials will be identified and tested for the purpose of low-temperature methane catalysis.
Program
Strategic Projects - Group
Recipient
Location
British Columbia, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
381066-2009
Name nom
Smith, Kevin
Department département
Chemical and Biological Engineering
Organization id
2
Institution établissement
University of British Columbia
Province en
British Columbia
Province fr
Colombie-Britannique
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2011
Competition year année de concours
2009
Award amount
130000
Program id
STPGP
Program nane en
Strategic Projects - Group
Program name fr
Projets stratégiques - De groupe
Group en
Research partnerships programs
Group fr
Programmes de partenariat
Committee code
1047
Committee name en
Strategic Projects Selection Panel - Energy
Committee name fr
Comité de sélection des projets stratégiques - Énergie
Area of application code
305
Area of application group en
Energy resources
Area of application group fr
Ressources d'énergie
Area of application en
Energy storage and conversion
Area of application fr
Stockage et transformation de l'énergie
Research subject code
2300
Research subject group en
Fuel and energy technology
Research subject group fr
Combustibles et technologie de l'énergie
Research subject en
Fuel and energy technology (economic geology, use 4003)
Research subject fr
Combustibles et technologie de l'énergie (géologie économique, utiliser 4003)
Partie
3
Nb partie
3
Application title
Novel Catalysts for Low Temperature Methane Oxidation
Keyword
NSERC
Application summary
Natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4) is an abundant, cleaner-burning fuel than gasoline, particularly when combined with hydrogen (H2). Westport Innovations Inc. of Vancouver, BC is a world-leading company that provides technology to transform diesel engines to operate on natural gas, biogas, propane, and hydrogen, with a focus on medium and heavy duty vehicles such as transit buses, delivery vehicles, refuse collection trucks, and large highway trucks. A significant impediment to the widespread implementation of natural gas in combustion engines is that unburned CH4 expelled in the exhaust is a significant greenhouse gas with a potency more than ~25 times that of carbon dioxide. Traditional catalytic converters, optimized for reducing oxides of nitrogen (NOx), unburned hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide, are not efficient at methane
oxidation, especially at the low to moderate exhaust gas temperatures (150 to 500 °C) of diesel-cycle engines. In order to reduce the CH4 content in the exhausts from these vehicles, it is crucial to develop new catalysts that can operate at <500 C and efficiently oxidize methane. Our aim is to develop new materials for low-temperature CH4 oxidation, and to investigate their ability to function as methane oxidation catalysts. Three new classes of materials will be developed: (a) highly porous metal oxides, (b) monodisperse platinum group metal (PGM) nanoparticles and (c) hybrid PGM/metal oxide nanoparticles. The most promising of the new materials will be identified through laboratory-scale reaction tests that simulate exhaust gas conditions. The best catalysts will be incorporated into the monolith of a prototype catalytic converter and evaluated using
an engine dynamometer that provides the operating conditions relevant for proper assessment of automobile emission control devices. This proposal targets new emission reduction technologies and we anticipate that in the course of this project, new materials will be identified and tested for the purpose of low-temperature methane catalysis.
