The institute’s statement reads: “Scientists from the Institute of Catalysis at the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences are working on enhancing the synergistic effect in the catalytic activity of platinum and palladium systems when combined with manganese oxide applied to aluminum oxide coating for ceramic blocks. They have successfully reduced the platinum and palladium content in the catalyst to 0.17 and 0.17-0.35 grams per liter, respectively, with 5 percent manganese oxide in the aluminum oxide coating.
The lead researcher in the Heterogeneous Catalysts Department at the institute, Svetlana Yashnik, noted that the platinum catalyst shows good catalytic properties in neutralizing toxic components after the addition of manganese oxide. As a result of this synergistic effect, the platinum content can be reduced by one and a half times, or even more when replaced by palladium.
The amount of vehicle emissions, including those operating in Russia, amounts to about 5 million tons of harmful substances in the atmosphere annually. Diesel exhaust contains hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, soot, and sulfur dioxide. Currently, vehicle emission control systems are manufactured from ceramic blocks coated with aluminum oxide and nanoparticles of precious metals, platinum, and palladium. However, the concentration of precious metals in these systems starts at 30 grams per liter, making them expensive.”
