The use of gel-cast ceramic foams as diesel particulate filters

Interest in diesel particulate reduction technologies has been revived over the past few years as a result of the increased popularity in Europe of diesel passenger cars, due to their superior fuel efficiency and advances made in performance, along with new legislation requiring the reduction of exhaust emission products. A number of technologies have been commercialised in this growing market sector including the use of filtration media to clean the exhaust gases. In fact during the course of this work the first Diesel Particulate Filtration (DPF) system to be fitted on a passenger car was introduced by the car manufacturer Peugeot. One of the many previously studied technologies for the reduction of diesel particulate emissions was through the use of reticulated ceramic foam filters. A more recent alternative approach to the production of porous ceramics is via gel casting. [Continues.]