Assessment of the Impact of Trace Elements in FAME Biodiesel on Diesel Oxidation Catalyst Activity after Full Lifetime of Operation in A Heavy-Duty Truck

Francesco Regali,Jonas Granestrand,Marita Nilsson,Lars Pettersson,Rodrigo Suárez París

doi:10.3390/catal10121439

Francesco Regali, Jonas Granestrand + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/catal10121439

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Journal: Catalysts	Publication Date: Dec 9, 2020
Citations: 3	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Scania (Sweden), KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Abstract

Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) biodiesel contains some trace amounts of Na, K, P, Ca, and Mg. Our objective was to investigate whether the presence of such elements can poison a diesel oxidation catalyst that has been used for an entire regulatory lifetime in a heavy-duty truck fueled by FAME biodiesel. The investigated vehicle-aged catalyst contained high loadings of S, P, and Na, as well as a visible layer of soot. Activity in the NO oxidation reaction was severely decreased compared to a fresh catalyst of the same type, while the CO and C3H6 oxidation reactions were less affected. Subsequent selective trace element removal procedures, followed by activity tests, were used to decouple the effect of different poisons. Sintering was observed to be the main cause of catalyst deactivation. Of the trace elements present on the catalyst, P had the greatest effect on catalyst activity, while the other trace elements had little effect.

Highlights

Environmental concerns and regulatory pressure have spurred the transport sector to reduce the vehicle emissions of both local pollutants and CO2
The objective of our work was to investigate a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) taken from an actual vehicle that had been in operation for an entire lifetime (700,000 km) on B100 rape methyl ester (RME) biodiesel
Our results indicated that such morphological changes in Pt/Pd particles induced by the presence of P on their own could not explain the loss of catalyst activity caused by phosphorus

Summary

Introduction

Environmental concerns and regulatory pressure have spurred the transport sector to reduce the vehicle emissions of both local pollutants and CO2. The abatement of local pollutants, e.g., nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM), is achieved with a combination of engine modifications and exhaust aftertreatment equipment, including diesel particulate filters (DPFs) and catalytic treatment units. Efforts to reduce CO2 emissions include improvements in fuel economy and a gradual shift to renewable fuels, including various biofuels. Different biofuels account for almost 20% of the energy usage of the Swedish domestic transport sector [1]. Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) has seen widespread adoption, both as a pure biodiesel fuel (B100) and in blends such as B20

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