Alumina-supported manganese catalysts with cryptomelane and/or birnessite structure have been prepared using a simple method based on the thermal decomposition of potassium permanganate. The samples have been characterized by XRD, FTIR, TGA, DSC, N2 adsorption at −196 °C, SEM, H2-TPR and XPS, and their catalytic activity for soot combustion has been tested and compared to that of a reference Pt...

III. Project background: The SERDP statement of need that led to this research project focuses on a requirement for better models of the mechanisms of soot formation in combustion. Soot and its combustion precursors present human health hazards. In the case of Army fighting vehicles, such as those powered by diesel engines, it is of interest to achieve the maximum possible power density. One wa...

Soot sensors are required for on-board diagnostics (OBD) of automotive diesel particulate filters (DPF) to detect filter failures. Widely used for this purpose are conductometric sensors, measuring an electrical current or resistance between two electrodes. Soot particles deposit on the electrodes, which leads to an increase in current or decrease in resistance. If installed upstream of a DPF, ...

Soot particles produced by incomplete combustion processes are one of the major components of urban air pollution. Chemistry at their surfaces lead to the heterogeneous conversion of several key trace gases; for example NO(2) interacts with soot and is converted into HONO, which rapidly photodissociates to form OH in the troposphere. In the dark, soot surfaces are rapidly deactivated under atmo...

III. Project background: The SERDP statement of need that led to this research project focuses on a requirement for better models of the mechanisms of soot formation in combustion. Soot and its combustion precursors present human health hazards. In the case of Army fighting vehicles, such as those powered by diesel engines, it is of interest to achieve the maximum possible power density. One wa...

Numerous definitions and analytical techniques for elemental (or black) carbon (EC) have been published in the scientific literature, but still no generally accepted interdisciplinary definition exists. EC is not a single chemical compound, but is mainly composed of two parts of carbon contents: combustion residues from pyrolysis and combustion emissions formed via gas-to-particle conversion. A...

The combustion of pretroleum based fuels like kerosene, gasoline, or diesel leads to the formation of several kind of pollutants. Among them, soot particles are particularly bad for their severe consequences on human health. Over the past decades, strict regulations have been placed on car and aircraft engines in order to limit these particulate matter emissions. Designing low emission engines ...