CATALYTIC COMBUSTION OF CARBON

The catalytic combustion of carbon particulate was investigated with t he aim of developing a catalyst for the abatement of soot in diesel ex hausts. In the presence of a Cu/V/K based catalyst a strong increase o f the rate of carbon combustion and a marked decrease of the apparent activation energy were observed. The carbon reactivity showed a linear dependence upon the initial ratio of the mass of catalyst to the mass of carbon and a square root dependence upon the oxygen partial pressu re. However, catalytic combustion of diesel soot and partially graphit ized carbon black confirmed previous results obtained for other carbon materials. In particular, kinetic data follow a model proposed for th e catalytic combustion of amorphous carbon black [1]. An extension of this model, incorporating the influence of carbon-catalyst contact on the catalyst performances, has been presented.