Abstract
Abstract
The present paper examines the possibility of chemical treatment of used catalysts for the purpose of improving catalytic efficiency. The proposed method inserts the catalyst in a bath of a strong organic solvent that dissolves oil, soot and fuel residues, cleaning the active surface of the catalyst. The tests were conducted at low (750 r/min) and high (3100 r/min) idle speeds. The experimental results based on CO, HC and catalyst inlet-outlet temperature difference measurements indicate that after treatment the catalytic efficiency improves considerably (>25 per cent) at low idle (750 r/min). The improvement is even higher at high idle (3100 r/min), exceeding 40 per cent. Therefore, there are strong indications that, if car catalysts underwent a similar treatment at regular service intervals, e.g. every 20 000 km, engine emissions could be considerably reduced and catalyst operational life extended.
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