Alternative Technology for Platinum Group Metals in Automobile Exhaust Gas Catalysts

This paper describes a new catalyst powder has been developed that provides cleaner exhaust emissions and reduces the consumption of precious metals. In recent years, precious metal usage has been increasing due to the tightening of emission regulations and the increase in automobile production worldwide. Minimizing the use of precious metals in exhaust catalysts is crucial not only for reducing the cost of vehicles but also for effective utilization of scarce resources. Iron is one of the alternative material candidates for precious metals. It was found that the Iron catalyst was activated by iron becoming the low oxidation state while iron oxide and cerium oxide synchronized in a nanostructure interface. A catalyst with improved iron support technology that enables better contact between highly dispersed particles of iron and ceria was found to exhibit higher exhaust gas cleansing performance than precious metal catalysts even after aging.