Performance materials for automotive emissions control
Actalys & OPtalys performance materials help to make the world a cleaner & healthier place by boosting the performance of automotive catalytic convertors, thus minimizing emissions of gaseous pollutants from an ever-growing number of vehicles.
Used in conjunction with Solvay’s range of high stability alumina (including Stabilys®), these proprietary products are essential ingredients in the formulation of automotive catalysts & are key in enabling the catalyst manufacturer and car constructor to achieve cost-effective compliance with increasingly ambitious emission standards.
The result of intensive R&D, Actalys and OPtalys materials are tailored to meet the exact requirements of individual customers. In order to meet local needs on a global scale, their development is supported by local R&D teams and pilot and manufacturing facilities in all the major markets: Asia (China and Japan), Europe and the US.
Features & Benefits
Actalys and OPtalys products comprise cerium (a rare earth) & zirconium oxides in varying proportions, with the addition in most cases of small quantities of other rare earth oxides such as lanthanum, neodymium and praseodymium. These products offer:
- Outstanding thermal stability for robust, long-life catalysts: their physical characteristics are preserved even after exposure to elevated temperatures (peaks >1000°C), thereby stabilizing the precious metals (the ‘active ingredients’ of the catalyst) by minimizing sintering and encapsulation
- Low precious metal loading = cost-effectiveness
- Enhanced durability = extended service life
- Stable surface area: contact between the exhaust gas and the catalyst is greatly enhanced, even after ageing
- High and accessible oxygen storage capacity: Actalys and OPtalys materials function like a sponge: rapidly absorbing and releasing oxygen according to the catalytic reaction required (reduction or oxidation)
- Wide range of products customized to exactly meet specific customer requirements
Applications
Actalys and OPtalys products are used extensively in a number of automotive emission-control catalyst technologies, namely:
For gasoline vehicles:
- Three-way catalysts (TWC) & gasoline particulate filters (GPF)
For Diesel vehicles:
- Lean NOx-Trap (LNT) catalysts
- Diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC)
- Diesel particulate filters (DPF)