Effects of a Pt/Ce0.68Zr0.32O2 catalyst and NO2 on the kinetics of diesel soot oxidation from thermogravimetric analyses

In this study, the reactivity of well-characterized diesel soot samples is investigated by thermogravimetry under different kinds of oxidizing atmospheres (20% O2 or 10% O2 + 700 ppm NO2) either under catalyzed or non-catalyzed conditions. Whatever the atmosphere used, the catalyst Pt/ceria–zirconia was able to lower significantly the ignition temperature of soot, but the catalytic effect was found to be more pronounced when the oxidation process was assisted by NOx. This is due mainly to the efficiency of both catalyst components (the noble metal and the OSC material) in recycling the NO released after attack of the soot by NO2. By contrast, the NO2 is of very limited use in the absence of catalyst under our experimental conditions. The global kinetic parameters representative of the carbonaceous matrix oxidation are determined using a methodological approach combining thermogravimetric experiments and non-linear multivariate regression. The kinetic parameters obtained are consistent both with the literature results and the postulated mechanistic pathways for soot oxidation assisted or not by NOx.