NOx gone at Argonne

A catalyst developed by Argonne researchers could help diesel truck manufacturers eliminate harmful nitrogen-oxide emissions from diesel exhausts.

The technology — which has a patent pending — appears so promising that multiple large and small companies have expressed interest in licensing it and working with Argonne researchers to scale up the technology and bring it to market.

Argonne researcher Christopher Marshall, one of the technology's developers, believes there could be a commercially available product within two to three years.

Nitrogen oxides — collectively called “NOx” — contribute to smog, acid rain and global warming. Yet they are among the most difficult pollutants to eliminate from diesel exhaust. For example, many technologies that reduce NOx result in increases in undesirable particulate emissions.

"For diesel engines, we envision manufacturers placing ceramic catalytic reactors in the exhaust pipes, where they will convert NOx emissions into nitrogen," said Marshall, who works in Argonne's Chemical Engineering Division. Nitrogen, or N2, is a harmless gas that makes up more than 80 percent of the Earth's atmosphere.