Microwave improvement of catalyst performance in soot oxidation without additives

The application of microwaves allows to overcome technical hitches related to the regeneration of soot-filters allowing to perform it independently on the engine operating conditions. The performance of a SiC foam filter during microwave regeneration was investigated with and without a catalyst coating. The regeneration efficiency and the energy required for regeneration were evaluated for catalytic and uncatalytic SiC foams by varying the operating conditions of soot trapping.Results showed that for both catalytic foams, Fe/V/K and Cu/V/K, the capability to be heated independently of the amount of soot allows to maintain temperature sufficiently high to perform a complete foam filter regeneration. Moreover, the microwave absorbing properties of the catalytic phases allow to perform regeneration with a lower energy consumption with respect to the uncatalytic case. The presence of a catalyst also allows to overcome the dependence of microwave-assisted regeneration process on the operating conditions of soot loading.