Catalytic Cracking of n-Dodecane and Diesel Fuel to Improve the Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOx in Automotive Exhaust Containing Excess Oxygen

The low exhaust gas temperatures of diesel engines and the chemical composition of diesel fuel is responsible that only a small amount of nitrogen oxides is converted into nitrogen over SCR catalysts based on Pt zeolites. In order to improve the NOx reduction over these types of catalysts, it is investigated if a catalytic cracking process is suitable to convert the diesel fuel into more reactive molecules which should act as reducing agent in the HC‐SCR process. Low exhaust gas temperatures of diesel engines and the chemical composition of diesel fuel is responsible that only a small amount of nitrogen oxides is converted into nitrogen over SCR catalysts based on Pt zeolites. In order to improve the NOx reduction over these types of catalysts, the authors investigated whether a catalytic cracking process is suitable to convert the diesel fuel into more reactive molecules which should act as reducing agent in the HC‐SCR process.