Effects of loading and particle size on Co supported TiO2 catalysis for catalytic converter

Abstract

Carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HCs) are two of the major pollutants from vehicles affecting air quality in general and urban air quality in particular. Catalytic converter transforms these pollutants into less harmful products and are one the most widely used means of vehicular emission control. This study investigates the effect of loading and particle size of the cobalt oxide catalyst supported on titania using stainless steel wire mesh as substrate for the oxidation of HCs and CO from a real engine exhaust. Five different loadings of titania supported cobalt catalyst ranging from 6-21 wt. % have been prepared by the wet impregnation method. The catalysts have been characterized by using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and (BET) surface area analyzer. By increasing the loading of Co, results showed increasing trend in conversion efficiency till the optimization occurred at 18 wt. %. The catalytic converter oxidized 93 and 96% CO and HCs emissions respectively