A processing apparatus equipped with a catalyst-supporting honeycomb structure, which is characterized in that corrugated plate-like glass fiber papers having a functional catalyst supported thereon and flat plate-like glass fiber papers having the same functional catalyst supported thereon are alternately laminated without being bonded to each other, to form a catalyst-supporting honeycomb structure, and this catalyst-supporting honeycomb structure is packed in a casing.

A composition including inorganic fibers having a surface area of at least 5 m.sup.2/g and an active agent incorporated into the inorganic fibers and/or applied onto at least a portion of the inorganic fibers. Products including the composition may include fiber aggregates, composite materials, filter elements, catalytic elements, exhaust gas treatment devices and other exhaust system components, and papers.

A holding material including: inorganic fibers that include 70 wt % or more of an alumina component an organic binder other than polyacrylamide of which the surface is negatively charged, alumina sol, and polyacrylamide having a weight-average molecular weight of 3,000,000 to 6,000,000, wherein the amount of the alumina sol is 2 to 8 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the amount of the inorganic fibers, and the amount of the polyacrylamide is 0.01 to 1.0 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the amount of the inorganic fibers.

Catalytic and/or sorptive articles comprising a metal fiber felt, the metal felt having an array of metal fibers and voids and a catalyst composition and/or a sorbent composition disposed on the metal fibers and within the voids are described. Such articles can be highly effective towards the abatement of pollutants in exhaust gas streams from internal combustion engines.

A composition including inorganic fibers having a surface area of at least 5 m.sup.2/g and an active agent incorporated into the inorganic fibers and/or applied onto at least a portion of the inorganic fibers. Products including the composition may include fiber aggregates, composite materials, filter elements, catalytic elements, exhaust gas treatment devices and other exhaust system components, and papers.

A gaseous emissions treatment assembly has a honeycomb ceramic substrate body with a plurality of cells for passage of exhaust gases. Respective lengths of metal wire are located in a number of the cells. An induction heating coil is mounted adjacent the substrate body for generating a varying electromagnetic field, thereby inductively to heat the lengths of wire and thereby to heat the substrate body.

A mat material having a sufficiently high initial compression surface pressure is provided. The mat material of the present disclosure includes inorganic fibers; and an inorganic binder and an organic binder attached to the inorganic fibers, wherein the mat material has an initial compression surface pressure of 900 kPa or more as measured when compressed to a bulk density of 0.50 g/cm.sup.3.

The present invention addresses the problem and purpose of providing a honeycomb structure that has a sufficiently high strength and is excellent in endurance, and a catalyst for cleaning an exhaust gas using the same that is excellent in resistance to sulfur oxide (SOX). The honeycomb structure of the present invention is one consists of a flat inorganic fiber sheet comprising an inorganic fiber sheet having supported thereon an inorganic binder and zeolite, and a corrugated inorganic fiber sheet comprising an inorganic fiber sheet having supported thereon the same inorganic binder and zeolite, which are alternately combined with each other, wherein it is characterized in that the zeolite has a particle diameter (i.e., a median particle diameter, D50) of from 0.5 to 10.0 ?m.

An assembly for treating gaseous emissions includes a substrate body having cells for the passages of emissions gas. Lengths of metal wire are located in selected ones of the cells and an induction heating coil is mounted adjacent the substrate body for generating a varying electromagnetic field for inductive heating of the assembly including gaseous emissions passing along the cells. Within the cells, parts of the cell walls and parts of the wire surfaces are exposed to the passage of the gaseous emissions and both the cell wall parts and the wire surface parts have pollution treating catalyst at their surfaces.

A processing apparatus equipped with a catalyst-supporting honeycomb structure, which is characterized in that corrugated plate-like glass fiber papers having a functional catalyst supported thereon and flat plate-like glass fiber papers having the same functional catalyst supported thereon are alternately laminated without being bonded to each other, to form a catalyst-supporting honeycomb structure, and this catalyst-supporting honeycomb structure is packed in a casing.