Boost in catalyst technology aims to slash emissions in light- and
heavy-duty diesel engines and other lean-stream applications
DETROIT, April 16 /PRNewswire/ -- SAE 2007 -- Nanostellar, Inc., a
leader in nano-engineered catalyst materials, today announced a first in
diesel emissions technology: the introduction of gold as an oxidation
catalyst. Nanostellar's NS Gold(TM) catalyst enables manufacturers of
light- and
heavy-duty diesel engines to reduce noxious emissions by as much as 40
percent more than existing pure-platinum catalysts at equal cost.
Nanostellar introduced its first-generation product, based on a platinum
and palladium alloy, in mid-2006, and it achieved 25%-30% higher
performance than commercial pure-platinum catalysts. NS Gold(TM),
Nanostellar's second-generation product, delivers a further 15%-20%
performance increase.
Platinum is the most expensive component of the diesel oxidation
catalysts (DOCs) that are required to meet the new, stringent emission
regulations for the 14 million light-duty and 2 million heavy-duty diesel
vehicles produced annually worldwide. In recent years, Nanostellar and
other producers of catalyst materials have introduced the use of palladium
to partially replace the four-times more expensive platinum. Now, to
further reduce the amount of platinum needed and the overall cost of the
catalysts, Nanostellar has pioneered the use of gold -- which is currently
about half the price of platinum -- for diesel emission control.
Independent testing of Nanostellar's NS Gold(TM), in comparison with
today's pure-platinum catalysts, has shown that NS Gold(TM) increases
hydrocarbon oxidation activity by as much as 40 percent at equal
precious-metal cost. When compared to emerging platinum-palladium
catalysts, NS Gold(TM) promises to increase hydrocarbon oxidation activity
by 15-20 percent at equal precious-metal cost. A tri-metal formulation of
gold, platinum, and palladium, NS Gold(TM) allows the proportions of each
metal to be adjusted to help catalyst systems engineers meet
engine-specific performance targets and stabilize the overall cost of
diesel catalysts, despite fluctuations in the price of precious metals.
"Not only does NS Gold(TM) break performance barriers imposed by mixed
platinum and palladium catalysts, but also its performance can be more
easily tuned to the characteristics of a variety of diesel engines," said
Pankaj Dhingra, CEO of Nanostellar. "We are excited to offer NS Gold(TM) to
improve the cost equation for the diesel industry. Gold is not new to
catalyst scientists, but this is the first time it has been successfully
adapted for use in automotive diesel oxidation catalysts."
According to Dhingra, the continued evolution and maturity of
Nanostellar's Rational Catalyst Design methodology brought NS Gold(TM) into
existence in record time. "Rational Design combines computational
approaches with targeted experiments to accelerate the development of new
materials," he explained "Nanostellar has over 50 man-years of Rational
Catalyst Design experience and a substantial database of catalyst-specific
knowledge, developed from both computational and experimental approaches.
We have unique algorithms and software that address computational catalyst
design, along with proprietary synthesis technologies and novel testing
methods that provide a detailed understanding of catalytic processes."
NS Gold(TM) is potentially suitable for treating all lean-stream
exhaust, where air is in excess of fuel-borne hydrocarbon gases.
Applications include, but are not limited to, treating particulates and
hydrocarbons in soot filters, stationary-source volatile organic compound
(VOC) emissions, and ammonia slip in selective catalytic reduction (SCR)
systems.
NS Gold(TM) is immediately available for targeted application-specific
testing. Production quantities will be available as production programs are
identified and released.
About Nanostellar
Nanostellar, Inc. provides diesel automotive and stationary power
industries with nano-engineered catalyst materials that reduce exhaust
emissions and increase the effectiveness of precious metals in catalysts.
Focusing in the fields of quantum computational nanoscience, chemistry,
materials science, and chemical engineering, Nanostellar utilizes Rational
Catalyst Design, which combines computational approaches with targeted
experiments, to accelerate the development of new materials. Headquartered
in Redwood City, California, Nanostellar is funded by premier investors
including 3i, Khosla Ventures, Monitor Ventures, Firelake Capital
Management LLC, and AsiaTech Management. For more information, visit
http://nanostellar.com.
Nanostellar is a registered trademark and NS Gold is a trademark of
Nanostellar, Inc. All other brands, products, or service names are or may
be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.
SOURCE Nanostellar, Inc.,
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Related links:
http://www.nanostellar.com
CONTACT:
Eileen Leveckis of Trainer Communications,
+1-415-819-4232, nano@trainercomm.com
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