First gold-based emissions control technology in commercial production

First gold-based emissions control technology in commercial production with potential to reduce emissions by up to 30%

From the World Gold Council:

Nanostellar Inc., a Silicon Valley developer of advanced materials, has completed the commercialisation of a gold-based catalyst, NS Gold™, which is now in production with one of the four largest European diesel car manufacturers. The World Gold Council has provided an additional investment which will help the company to accelerate wider commercial adoption of NS Gold™.

The inclusion of gold in this technology provides significant benefits for diesel vehicle manufacturers, providing emission reductions of up to 30%, manufacturing cost reductions, or alternatively improved fuel economy. Catalytic converters in cars and trucks use precious metals, such as platinum, to catalyse the oxidation of harmful by-products in the engine exhaust, and thereby reduce noxious emissions. The potential to use gold in this type of application has long been considered by the industry, but until Nanostellar’s breakthrough the technical challenges concerning catalyst durability prevented its use. Following rigorous performance and durability testing, the NS Gold™ catalyst has proven to be fully compliant with the current European vehicle emissions standards (Euro-5).....read on