A system and method for reducing the nitrogen oxides found in the exhaust produced by a vehicle engine, the system comprising a NOx trap and a first adding means for adding a reducing agent to the exhaust gas. The first adding means is positioned downstream of the engine and either upstream of or within the NOx trap.

In a method and a device for monitoring the operability of an emission control system of an internal combustion engine, at least two catalytic converters are situated in succession in an exhaust duct. For tracking control, breakthrough detection for diagnosing the first catalytic converter, and for a second balancing for the storage capacity of oxygen or rich gas of the second catalytic converter, a two-point lambda probe be used and, for the latter, tolerance and aging effects are compensated. This results in particular in cost advantages in emission control systems for fulfilling stricter emission and diagnostic requirements.

A nitrogen oxide purification system includes an exhaust line exhausting exhaust gas from a combustion chamber. A first nitrogen oxide purification device is mounted at an upstream side of the exhaust line to primarily purify nitrogen oxides (NOx) included in the exhaust gas, and a second nitrogen oxide purification device is mounted to a downstream side of the first nitrogen oxide purification device to secondarily purify the NOx. A second injector is disposed between the first nitrogen oxide purification device and the first injector to additionally inject fuel for controlling an air/fuel ratio of the exhaust gas.

A nitrous oxide (N.sub.2O) removal catalyst composite is provided, comprising a N.sub.2O removal catalytic material on a substrate, the catalytic material comprising a rhodium (Rh) component supported on a ceria-based support, wherein the catalyst composite has a H.sub.2-consumption peak of about 100° C. or less as measured by hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction (H.sub.2-TPR). Methods of making and using the same are also provided.

An exhaust purification system includes: a NOx reduction catalyst for reducing and purifying NOx in an exhaust gas; a catalyst regeneration control module for executing a catalyst regeneration process of restoring a NOx purification capacity of the NOx reduction catalyst by switching an air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas from a lean state to a rich state by using in parallel an air system control to reduce an intake air amount and an injection system control to increase a fuel injection amount; an exhaust gas temperature sensor that is provided on a downstream side of the NOx reduction catalyst on an exhaust passageway; a catalyst temperature estimating module for estimating a catalyst temperature of the NOx reduction catalyst; a temperature sensor value estimating module for estimating a sensor value of the exhaust gas temperature sensor; and an abnormality determination module for determining on an abnormality of a catalyst regeneration process.

There is provided an exhaust gas purification system including: a NOx storage-reduction catalyst that is provided in an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine to reduce and purify NOx in exhaust gas; a degree of deterioration estimation module 120 for estimating a degree of deterioration of the NOx storage-reduction catalyst; a regeneration control unit 100 for executing a regeneration process in which exhaust gas is enriched so as to restore a NOx storage capacity of the NOx storage-reduction catalyst; an interval setting module for setting a target interval from an end of the regeneration process to a start of the subsequent regeneration process by the regeneration control unit; and an interval target value correction module for correcting the target interval based on the degree of deterioration that is estimated by the degree of deterioration estimation module.

Provided are an LNT layered catalyst for a lean burn gasoline engine having an enhanced NOx storage rate and capable of developing a higher NOx purification rate, and an exhaust gas purification apparatus using the same, the LNT layered catalyst including a substrate, a first catalyst layer including ceria-alumina particles carrying Pt, Pd, and BaO, and a second catalyst layer including ceria-alumina particles carrying Pt and Rh, in which a content of Pt in the first catalyst layer is 0.45 to 0.85 mass %; among Pt included in the first catalyst layer, a content proportion in a first depth region is 88 to 90 mass %, and a content proportion in a second depth region is 10 to 12 mass %; a content of Ba in the first catalyst layer is 4 to 11 mass %; and the second catalyst layer is substantially free from Ba.

An apparatus for purifying an exhaust gas passing through an exhaust pipe includes a catalytic converter disposed on the exhaust pipe. The catalytic converter is provided with a lean NOx trap (LNT) device, the LNT device having an LNT catalyst coated therein, and a catalyzed particulate filter (CPF), the CPF having a catalyst coated therein, and the LNT device and the CPF are sequentially disposed in the catalytic converter. The CPF includes at least one inlet channel extending in a longitudinal direction, the at least one inlet channel having a first end into which fluid flows and a second end which is blocked, at least one outlet channel extending in the longitudinal direction, the at least one outlet channel having a first end which is blocked and a second end through which the fluid flows out, at least one porous wall that defines a boundary between neighboring inlet and outlet channels and that extends in the longitudinal direction, and a support with the catalyst coating thereon, and the support is located within at least one among the at least one inlet channel and the at least one outlet channel.

A method for controlling exhaust gas aftertreatment in an exhaust gas aftertreatment system having at least one nitrogen oxide storage catalyst and at least one catalyst for selective catalytic reduction is provided, wherein, in phases of a high load, a combustion engine is operated with a substoichiometric fuel/air mixture, and nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gas are reduced in the nitrogen oxide storage catalyst to ammonia, which is stored in the catalyst for selective catalytic reduction, and, when the storage capacity of the catalyst for selective catalytic reduction is exceeded, the combustion engine is operated with a superstoichiometric fuel/air mixture, thus allowing nitrogen oxides in the catalyst for selective catalytic reduction to be reduced by the stored ammonia.

A three-way catalyst and an NO.sub.x adsorption catalyst are disposed in an engine exhaust passage. In a predetermined low-load engine operation area, combustion in a combustion chamber is carried out at a lean base air-fuel ratio and an air-fuel ratio in the combustion chamber is changed to a rich range at the time of discharging NO.sub.x from the NO.sub.x adsorption catalyst. In a predetermined high-load engine operation area, the air-fuel ratio in the combustion chamber is controlled to a theoretical air-fuel ratio in a feedback manner. In a predetermined middle-load engine operation area, the combustion in the combustion chamber is carried out at the base air-fuel ratio lower than the base air-fuel ratio in the low-load engine operation area and the air-fuel ratio in the combustion chamber is changed to the rich range with a period shorter than a rich period of the air-fuel ratio for discharging NO.sub.x in the low-load engine operation area.