METHODS FOR REDUCING PARTICULATE MATTER EMISSIONS FROM DIESEL ENGINE EXHAUST USING ETHANOL/DIESEL FUEL BLENDS IN COMBINATION WITH DIESEL OXIDATION CATALYSTS

摘要

Considerable progress has been made in recent years in reducing toxic exhaustemissions from diesel engines. Diesel oxidation catalysts, for example, arefinding increasing use in reducing carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and thesoluble organic fraction of particulate matter in such emissions. Recentinnovations in surfactant stabilizing additives now enable ethanol to beblended with diesel fuel in clear, stable solutions. On combustion,ethanol/diesel fuels generate less toxic emissions than the base diesel, butsurprisingly when used in conjunction with diesel oxidation catalysts,particulate matter especially is dramatically reduced. The effectiveness of adiesel oxidation catalyst attached to a diesel engine exhaust is unexpectedlyenhanced by the presence of ethanol in the diesel fuel.