Abstract: Disclosed is a catalytic unit that removes contaminates and particulates, including nitrogen oxides and soot, from diesel engine emissions without the use of chemical agents. The disclosed apparatus comprises a flow through device in fluid communication with a reduction unit, which is in fluid communication with a diesel particulate filter. The flow through device is coated with hematite and bixbyite in a ratio ranging from 1:1 to 9:1. The reduction unit is a catalytic substrate comprising one or more transition metals supported on a molecular sieve coated with an oxide catalyst. The diesel particulate filter has an oxide coating and a noble metal coating. The flow through device converts nitric oxide into nitrogen dioxide. The reduction unit converts most of the nitrogen dioxide into nitrogen, water, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. The diesel particulate filter traps remaining soot and coverts it and the carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide.

Abstract: An apparatus for removing soot from diesel engine exhaust streams at temperatures below 150° C. is provided. Although the use of particulate filters for removing carbonaceous soot from such exhaust streams is known, such systems are either active or operate under high temperatures, i.e. in excess of 300° C. The claimed apparatus includes a flow through support device composed of ceramic, such as cordierite or silicon carbide, or a primarily nonferrous metal or stainless steel and coated with an oxide formation comprising hematite and bixbyite in a ratio from 1:1 to 9:1. The claimed apparatus can also include a diesel particulate filter coated with a coating comprising tin, aluminum and zirconium oxides prepared by a co-precipitation process and thereafter coated with platinum or other precious metal.

Abstract: A tin-oxide based three-way catalytic material employing precious metals that is stable at exhaust gas temperatures of internal combustion engines when the tin oxide lattice includes any of several rare earth oxide stabilizers in the lanthanide series. The rare-earth elements are the 15 lanthanide elements with atomic numbers 57 through 71 that are in Group IIIA of the Periodic Table: lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium. Such tin-oxide based catalytic materials may also beneficially include zirconium oxide and/or yttrium oxide. The invention is useful in providing three-way catalytic exhaust converters for internal combustion engines.