Exhaust gas composition of a combustion engine running with methanol after interacting with a vanadium–tungsten–titanium oxide SCR catalyst

One of the most extensive and essential issues nowadays is climate change and how to reduce its advance and impact on the environment and human health. Maritime traffic emits a considerable amount of harmful emissions. One possible way to counteract climate change is by adopting renewable and more environmentally friendly combustion fuels, such as methanol (MeOH). However, the current combustion technology does not enable engines to run with 100% MeOH. A MeOH/diesel fuel blend or a diesel pilot injection is required. When using a MeOH/diesel fuel blend, the resulting emissions make the installation of a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalyst necessary. This study investigates for the first time the interaction between the exhaust gas emission of a MeOH engine with a vanadium–tungsten–titanium oxide (VTT) SCR catalyst at applicable conditions. Experiments revealed that HCHO is produced through MeOH oxidation. Through further reaction with NH₃, toxic HCN is formed. As NH₃ is consumed, the conversion ( ) decreases accordingly. Unwanted emissions can be reduced by adjusting specific parameters, such as the ratio of NH₃/ (alpha), pressure, space velocity (SV) or water content. Since durability is an important issue in real world applications, a field aged catalyst is evaluated additionally.