Assessing High-Cell Density Catalyst Durability with MMT® Fuel Additive in Severe Driving Conditions

This report describes the results of a fleet test conducted with vehicles certified to Euro IV standards and equipped with high cell density close coupled manifold mounted catalysts. The purpose of the test was to determine the effect of MMT^® on vehicle emission system durability under severe in-service operating conditions and to address vehicle manufacturers concerns about the effects of MMT^® in advanced technology vehicles. The results clearly show that performance and durability of the vehicles are not affected even under severe operating conditions when MMT^® is used in the gasoline.

Two pairs each of Volkswagen Passats and Opel Corsas (eight vehicles total) were operated on a base fuel and a base fuel splash blended with MMT^® at a concentration of 18 milligrams manganese per liter (“mg Mn/l”). The vehicles accumulated mileage on a driving regime representative of severe service. Mileage accumulation, both on road and a test track, was conducted in and around the Barcelona region of Spain. Idiada Automotive Technology SA conducted periodic emission testing using a European emissions certification fuel to assess the impact of the mileage accumulation fuel on emission system durability. Results from this test demonstrated that:

• All vehicles performed as expected without malfunction or driveability problems for 100,000 km.
• All of the MMT^® cars met in-service conformity requirements and remained well below the OBD threshold for these vehicles.

It is concluded that vehicle manufacturers' concerns about MMT^®'s impact on vehicles emission system durability are based on limited testing and remain the result of confounding factors that cannot be attributable to real world performance of MMT^®.