The current paper reports the scientific, technical, environmental, economic and social impacts of two integrated chemical and biochemical processes that employed a novel virtuous biowaste under the real operational conditions...

were prepared and characterized by XRD, BET and FESEM techniques. The activity of these catalysts towards the combustion of methane was evaluated in a Temperature Programmed Combustion (TPC) apparatus. The half conversion temperature of methane over the Co 0.8 Cr 2 O 4 catalyst was 369°C with a W/F = 0.12 g s/cm 3 . On the basis of Temperature Programmed Desorption (TPD) of oxygen as well as of catalytic combustion runs, the prevalent activity of the Co 0.8 Cr 2 O 4 catalyst could be explained by its higher capability to deliver suprafacial chemisorbed oxygen species. This catalyst, promoted by the presence of 1 wt% of Pd, deposited by wet impregnation, was lined on cordierite monoliths and then tested in a lab-scale test rig. The combination of Pd and Co 0.8 Cr 2 O 4 catalysts enables half methane conversion at 340°C (GHSV = 10,000 h )1 ), a performance similar to that of conventional 4 wt% Pd-c Al 2 O 3 catalysts but guaranteed with just a four-fold lower amount of noble metal. Both the catalysts in powder and the monolith hosting the Co 0.8 Cr 2 O 4 + 1 wt% Pd catalyst, submitted to a thermal ageing treatment in air at 700°C for 12 h, displayed a negligible deactivation.

Next 2008 European legislation on diesel engines will impose the use of specific traps, placed in the car exhaust line, so as to meet very stringent particulate emission limits (0.005 g/km). This paper provides a survey of the advancement status of R&D in the field of diesel particulate traps. Special emphasis is given to the combined use of traps and catalysts for regeneration purposes via catalytic combustion of the collected soot in the traps. Issues like trap materials selection, catalyst development, catalytic vs. non-catalytic trap performance are addressed. Specific highlights of the research in catalytic materials developed at Politecnico di Torino in the framework of EU projects will also be provided. In order to enhance the soot-catalyst contact conditions, several kinds of catalysts have been developed: oxygen spillover oxide, mobile catalysts based on alkali vanadates, spinels for the combined removal of particulate and NOx, precious metals enabling the NO oxidation to NO2 followed by reaction of this latter with particulate, heavy metal oxides, alkalimetal substituted perovskites capable of delivering oxygen species. An overview of these different approaches to soot oxidation will be provided pointing the way towards possible synergetic effects in multi-component catalysts.

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