Evaluation of the Sulfur Tolerance of 'Sulfur Tolerant' Automotive Catalysts fromThree Commercial Catalyst Suppliers

摘要

Sulfur has previously been shown to reduce the performance of automotivecatalytic converters and to cause significant increases in vehicle emissions. This research program was undertaken to determine the extent to which sulfur-tolerant automotive catalysts might exist within the supplier community. Meetings were held with the four largest global manufacturers of automtotive catalysts, and sulfur-tolerant catalysts were requested from each. The request was for a sample of their most sulfur-tolerant technology as well as a catalyst with the same noble metal content, but without the sulfur-tolerant technology. Three of the four companies supplied samples, one elected not to participate. A catalyst used on a vehicle that has been certified to the California LEV emission standard was also included in the test matrix.