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For Immediate Release 26 January 1995
HKUST Researchers
Combat Diesel Emission
with Microwave-assisted
Catalysis
Air pollutants generated by diesel-powered vehicles are to be minimised as engineers at the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology design a special incinerator for diesel soot. The incinerator will apply microwave-assisted catalysis technology to combustion of carbonaceous matter.
“The incinerator operates on the premise that microwave heating is selective and penetrative. When diesel soot is exposed to microwaves, it is converted to heat because of its strong microwave absorption,” explains Dr. Jianxin Ma, engineer at the Research Centre.
“Microwave heating, coupled with suitable catalysts that are commonly used in the chemical and bio-chemical industries to change reaction rates, makes an effective system for control of diesel soot.”
According to past experiments, for a driving interval of 100 to 150 km, only two minutes of microwave exposure destroys the diesel engine’s soot. This is a much cheaper and more efficient way to deal with diesel emission than conventional thermal heating methods, in which the heating is less selective.
Although diesel engines produce more air pollutants, they are still used widely in Hong Kong and the region in transportation and industry for their higher thermal efficiency and better fuel economy.
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