Introduction

The invention involves palladium and ceria based catalysts for the aftertreatment of exhaust gases from motor vehicles. The proposed materials are prepared by a new dry procedure which eliminates the need of solvents and are characterized by a higher activity and sustainability compared to the traditional wet methods.

Technical features

The invention involves ceria and palladium based catalytic materials and a method for their preparation. The catalysts are prepared by a dry milling method starting from the precursors in powder form, thus granting the removal of solvents from the production process. This allows the reduction of the process environmental impact, both from the solvents storage and disposal point of view and from the energy side, as many related thermal treatments are eliminated. The milling procedure is carried out at low energy and can be applied to a variety of materials, depending on the needs, in addition to the starting cerium oxide and palladium. The materials obtained through the developed method display a peculiar core-shell structure which makes them especially active and stable in methane activation and post-combustion of other pollutants.

Possible Applications

• Exhausts aftertreatment;
• Three-way catalysis;
• Fume aftertreatment from plants;
• Removal of volatile organic compounds, methane, CO and other pollutants.
• Chemical processes for natural gas valorization:
  • Partial oxidation.
  • Reforming.
• Hydrogenation processes.

Advantages

• High activity;
• Stability and deactivation resistance;
• Methane activation at lower temperatures;
• Solvent removal from the synthesis;
• Reduction of thermal treatments;
• Reduction of production time.