New, Highly Durable, Low PGM Motorcycle Catalyst Formulations for the Indian 2-Wheeler Market

The Platinum Group Metal (PGM) content of catalyst formulations contribute significantly to the overall cost of catalytic converters for Indian carburettored 2-stroke and 4-stroke vehicles. Reducing the PGM content of these catalysts while maintaining high pollutant conversions and high durability demanded by motorcycle manufacturers and legislation, represents a significant challenge to the catalyst industry. Indian 2-stroke and 4-stroke vehicles have been used to investigate the effect of advanced catalyst formulations in combination with very low PGM loadings on transient conversion efficiency over the Indian Driving Cycle (IDC). Both conventional flow-through metallic monoliths and low cost stainless steel perforated tubes have been coated and evaluated. Static bench engine ageing has been used to simulate up to 30,000 km of on-road use and to demonstrate the exceptional durability of these new catalyst formulations. It was found that by the careful selection and combination of specific washcoat and PGM loadings, high durability and high conversion of pollutants was achieved at very low cost.