Disclosed are a composite oxide which is capable of maintaining a large volume of pores even used in a high temperature environment, and which has excellent heat resistance and catalytic activity, as well as a method for producing the composite oxide and a catalyst for exhaust gas purification employing the composite oxide. The composite oxide contains cerium and at least one element selected from aluminum, silicon, or rare earth metals other than cerium and including yttrium, at a mass ratio of 85:15 to 99:1 in terms oxides, and has a property of exhibiting a not less than 0.30 cm.sup.3/g, preferably not less than 0.40 cm.sup.3/g volume of pores with a diameter of not larger than 200 nm, after calcination at 900° C. for 5 hours, and is suitable for a co-catalyst in a catalyst for vehicle exhaust gas purification.

Provided an air cleaning system, which includes: a first reactor which has a first inlet and a first outlet and in which a channel is formed; a first moisture adsorption filter and a first water-soluble gas pollutant adsorption filter that are provided inside the first reactor and are provided so that a gas passes therethrough sequentially while flowing along the channel from the first inlet to the first outlet; a plurality of first magnetrons that are provided at a lateral portion of the first reactor so as to correspond respectively to the first moisture adsorption filter and the first water-soluble gas pollutant adsorption filter and selectively apply microwaves to the first moisture adsorption filter and the first water-soluble gas pollutant adsorption filter; and a heat exchanger that receives hot air containing a water-soluble gas pollutant and moisture, both of which are desorbed from the first moisture adsorption filter and the first water-soluble gas pollutant adsorption filter and are discharged by the first outlet, condenses the moisture into water, and dissolves and discharges the water-soluble gas pollutant in the condensed water. According to the present invention, the air cleaning system can unify a dehumidifying process and a water-soluble gas pollutant removing process to simplify an air cleaning process, recover and recycle waste heat by introducing microwaves and the heat exchanger so as to contribute to energy saving, and be used semi-permanently without a need to periodically replace a filter.

A sulfur trap provides separation of elemental molten sulfur from a process stream comprising a mixture of sulfur and associated tail-gases. The sulfur trap comprises a vertically-oriented cylindrical wall having a chamber for receiving the process stream, a float positioned in the chamber, the float attached to a float end of a lever, a nozzle insert attached to the distal end of the lever, and a lever fulcrum positioned intermediate the lever float end and the lever nozzle insert end. The float, lever, nozzle insert and outlet are constructed to allow the float position to control nozzle insert engagement of the outlet, particularly to close the outlet when the float is elevated by molten sulfur and to disengage from the outlet to allow discharge flow of liquid sulfur at a determined level of sulfur within the chamber. Embodiments of a method of separating liquid sulfur from gases are also provided.

Structured adsorbent beds comprising a high cell density substrate, such as greater than about 1040 cpsi, and a coating comprising adsorbent particles, such as DDR and a binder, such as SiO.sub.2 are provided herein. Methods of preparing the structured adsorbent bed and gas separation processes using the structured adsorbent bed are also provided herein.

Ceramic candle filter and use of the filter in the removal of particulate matter in form of soot, ash, metals and met-al compounds, together with hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides being present in process off-gas or engine exhaust gas, the filter includes a combined SCR and oxidation catalyst being arranged on the dispersion side and within wall of the filter; and a palladium including catalyst arranged on the permeation side and within wall of the filter facing the permeation side.

Ceramic candle filter and use of the filter in the removal of particulate matter in form of soot, ash, metals and metal compounds, together with hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides being present in process off-gas or engine exhaust gas, the filter comprises a combined SCR and oxidation catalyst arranged at least on the dispersion side and/or within wall of the filter, the combined SCR and oxidation catalyst comprises palladium, a vanadium oxide and titania.

Ceramic candle filter and use of the filter in the removal of particulate matter in form of soot, ash, metals and metal compounds, together with hydrocarbons and optionally nitrogen oxides being present in process off-gas or engine exhaust gas, wherein a noble metal comprising catalyst is arranged on the permeation side of the filter and/or on the dispersion side of the filter and/or within wall of the filter, said noble metal comprising catalyst contains a noble metal in an amount of between 20 and 1000 ppm/weight of the filter.

Described are catalytic articles comprising a substrate having a washcoat on the substrate, the washcoat containing a catalytic component having a first average (D50) particle size and a functional binder component having a second average (D50) particle size in the range of about 10 nm to about 1000 nm, wherein the ratio of the first average (D50) particle size to the second average (D50) particle size is greater than about 10:1. The catalytic articles are useful in methods and systems to purify exhaust gas streams from an engine.

Multi-fiber, fiber optic cable assemblies may be configured so that the terminal ends of the cables have pre-assembled back-post assemblies that include pre-assembled ferrules, such as MPO ferrules that meet the requisite tolerances needed for fiber optic transmissions. To protect the pre-assembled components from damage prior to and during installation, pre-assembled components may be enclosed within a protective housing. The housing with pre-assembled components may be of a size smaller than fully assembled connectors so as to be sized to fit through a conduit. The remaining connector housing components for the multi-fiber connectors may be provided separately and may be configured to be attached to the back-post assembly after installation of the cable.

A CO.sub.2 separation/recover method in cement production exhaust gas has a step of harmful component removal that removes an acidic component and a harmful component from exhaust gas discharged from a cement production facility; and a step of CO.sub.2 separation and recover that separates and recovers CO.sub.2 by bringing the exhaust gas from which the acidic component and the harmful component are removed into contact with a CO.sub.2 absorption material, so that the acidic component and the harmful component are removed before separating and recovering CO.sub.2, resulting in deterioration of the absorbing ability of the CO.sub.2 absorption material being suppressed; and the cement production exhaust gas can be appropriately disposed.