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A filter system is presented which allows the reduction of the concentration of ultrafine particles in vehicle cabins to very low levels. The original ventilation system is switched to the recirculation mode and all cabin intake air is supplied via a retrofitted filter system. Tests with a variety of different vehicles (from passenger cars to coaches) show the efficiency of the system.

1 Switzerland is enforcing the use of particulate traps for offroad applications like construction as well as for occupational health applications like tunneling. This decision is based on the results of the VERT-project (1994-1999), which included basic aerosol research, bench screening and field testing of promising solutions as well as the development of implementation tools like trap specification, certification scheems and field control measures. On the other hand there is no corresponding regulation for city-buses yet although PM 10 is about 2× above limit in most Swiss cities. Public pressure however is growing and city transport authorities have reacted by retrofitting Diesel city-buses instead of waiting for cleaner engine technology or CNG-conversions. The favored trap system with about 200 retrofits so far is the CRT.

1 Small off-road 4-stroke SI-engines have extraordinarily high pollutant emissions. These must be curtailed to comply with the new Swiss clean air act LRV 98. The Swiss environmental protection agency (BUWAL) investigated the state of the technology. The aim was a cleaner agricultural walk behind mower with a 10kW 4-stroke SI-engine. Two engine designs were compared: side-valve and OHV. A commercially available 3-way catalytic converter system substantially curtailed emissions: In the ISO 8178 G test-cycle-average, HC was minimized to 8% and CO to 5% of raw emissions. At part load points, the residual emission was < 1%. Simultaneously, fuel consumption improved 10%. Using a special gasoline (Swiss standard SN 181 163), the aromatic hydrocarbons were curtailed, e.g. Benzene < 1%, and fuel consumption further improved. Those results were confirmed in field tests. The engine is approved for retrofitting.

Microfibers with high specific micro-surface can be knitted into two-dimensional structures with large internal porosity. Catalytically active metals can be deposited on the fibers with high dispersion by wet-impregnation, sol-gel or CVD, respectively. These microfiber knits may be used for exhaust gas treatment systems with a triple function: particle filtration, gas conversion and muffling. The total oxidation of propane on Pd and Pt coated fibers has been studied as a test reaction. Conversion temperature could be remarkably reduced compared to cellular structures. For a bimetallic (Pt-Pd) coating, the activity is independent of humidity or oxygen concentration. Thus a catalytic converter based on micro-fiber knits appears feasible. Its high mass and heat transfer prevent hot spots. And it functions as submicron filter for combustion aerosols. Integrated electric heating can also be provided in case of low gas temperatures. First tests on engines show promising results.