V.G. Milt

Simultaneous removal of soot and nitrogen oxides from diesel engine exhausts

In this paper, previously reported findings and new results presented here are discussed with the main objective of establishing the reaction mechanism for soot oxidation on different supports and catalysts formulations. Catalysts containing Co, K and/or Ba supported on MgO, La2O3 and CeO2 have been studied for diesel soot catalytic combustion. Among them, K/La2O3 and K/CeO2 showed the best activity and stability for the combustion of soot with oxygen. A reaction mechanism involving the redox sites and the surface-carbonate species takes place on these catalysts. On the other hand, Co,K/La2O3 and Co,K/CeO2 catalysts display activity for the simultaneous removal of soot and nitric oxide. The soot–catalyst contacting phenomenon was also addressed. A synergic La–K effect was observed in which the mechanical mixtures of soot with K–La2O3 showed higher combustion rates than those observed when K and La were directly deposited on the soot surface. The effect of the addition of Ba was explored with the aim of promoting the interaction of the solid with NO2, thus combining the NOx catalytic trap concept with the soot combustion for filter regeneration. Ba/CeO2 and Ba,K/CeO2 were effective in NOx absorption as shown in the microbalance experiments. However, the formation of stable nitrate species inhibits the soot combustion reaction.

Cobalt-containing catalysts for the high-temperature combustion of methane

Cobalt was supported on ZrO2, La-doped ZrO2 and La2O3 through atomic layer epitaxy (ALE) and wet impregnation. The rate data obtained at 770 K is compared with literature information about cobalt inserted in other matrixes. The ALE technique using ZrO2 and La-doped ZrO2 yielded the best cobalt-containing catalysts. Bulk and surface characterization techniques provided key clues to understand the origin of the large difference in catalytic activity reported for cobalt-containing formulations.

Development of edible films obtained from submicron emulsions based on whey protein concentrate, oil/beeswax and brea gum

Edible films with whey protein concentrate (WPC) with a lipid component, sunflower oil (O) or beeswax (W), to enhance barrier to water vapor were obtained. Brea gum was used as emulsifier and also as matrix component. In order to achieve emulsion with small and homogeneous droplet size, an ultrasonicator equipment was used after obtaining a pre-emulsion using a blender. The films were made by casting. Effects of lipid fraction on droplet size, zeta potential, mechanical properties, water vapor permeability (WVP), solubility, and optical properties were determined. The droplet size of emulsions with BG decreased when decreasing the lipid content in the formulation. The zeta potential was negative for all the formulations, since the pH was close to 6 for all of them and pI of BG is close to 2.5, and pI of ß-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin (main proteins in WPC) are 5.2 and 4.1, respectively. Increasing W or SO content in blended films reduced the tensile strength and puncture resistance significantly. BG and WPC films without lipid presented better mechanical properties. The presence of lipids decreased the WVP, as expected, and those films having BG improved this property. BG films were slightly amber as a result of the natural color of the gum. BG has shown to be a good polysaccharide for emulsifying the lipid fraction and improving the homogeneity and mechanical properties of the films with WPC and beeswax or oil.