Novel Synthesis of Heterogeneous Catalysts for the Complete Combustion of Dual-Fuel Vehicular Gases Carbon Monoxide and Methane

Shaw, David (2019) Novel Synthesis of Heterogeneous Catalysts for the Complete Combustion of Dual-Fuel Vehicular Gases Carbon Monoxide and Methane. Doctoral thesis (PhD), Manchester Metropolitan University.

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Abstract

The following research examines the synthesis of novel catalytic materials for the abatement of dual-fuel vehicle exhaust emissions using traditional wet impregnation (WI) approaches and the physical vapour deposition (PVD) technique unbalanced magnetron sputtering (UBMS). Characterisation of the materials was achieved via XRD, TEM, BET nitrogen adsorption, XRF, SEM, FTIR and TGA. Subsequent catalysts are tested on an in-house purpose built catalyst testing rig connected to a HP5890 MKII gas chromatograph. Low temperature CO and CH4 catalysts prepared using a WI process produced full conversion of CO to CO2 at room temperature and complete combustion of CH4 below 300 °C. Magnetron sputtering at three different deposition rates produced 27 catalytic samples all converting CO below 200 °C and CH4 for the majority of prepared catalysts below 400 °C. Zeolites were synthesised from a geothermal silica source and coated using both WI and PVD methodologies and demonstrated excellent activities for the oxidation of CO and CH4, effectively oxidising CH4 at a temperature 52% lower than currently being reported in literature. Hydroxyapatite was investigated as a potential substrate of interest and gave some promising results for CO combustion. Herein are the results for catalytic testing and characterisation of aforementioned materials.