A ceramic honeycomb structure having pluralities of flow paths partitioned by porous cell walls, (a) the cell walls having porosity of 50-63%; and (b) in a pore diameter distribution in the cell walls measured by mercury porosimetry, (i) pore diameters at cumulative pore volumes corresponding to particular percentages of the total pore volume being within specific ranges and having specific relationships; (ii) the difference between a logarithm of the pore diameter at a cumulative pore volume corresponding to 20% of the total pore volume and a logarithm of the pore diameter at 80% being 0.39 or less; and (iii) the volume of pores of more than 100 μm being 0.03 cm.sup.3/g or less.

A catalysed filter for a positive ignition internal combustion engine comprises a porous filtering substrate having a total substrate length coated with a three-way catalyst washcoat composition comprising at least one precious metal selected from the group consisting of rhodium and one or both of platinum and palladium supported on a high surface area oxide, and an oxygen storage component, which composition being axially shared by a first zone comprising inlet surfaces of a first substrate length<total substrate length and a second zone comprising outlet surfaces of a second substrate length<total substrate length, wherein a sum of the substrate length in the first zone and the substrate length in the second zone≧100% and wherein one or both of the following applies: a washcoat loading in the first zone>second zone; and a total precious metal loading in the first zone>second zone.

The invention provides a method for the production of a supported nickel catalyst, in which an aqueous mixture comprising an alkali metal salt plus other metal salts is sintered to form a support material. A supported nickel catalyst comprising potassium β-alumina is also provided.

The honeycomb structure includes a honeycomb structure body made of a zeolite material containing at least a coarse particle zeolite having a large average particle diameter (coarse zeolite particles). A fine particle zeolite having an average particle diameter smaller than that of the coarse particle zeolite (fine zeolite particles), and an inorganic bonding material, the coarse particle zeolite (the coarse zeolite particles) is a chabazite type zeolite in which an average particle diameter of primary particles is 2 μm or more and 6 μm or less, and in the fine particle zeolite (the fine zeolite particles), an average particle diameter of primary particles is 0.02 μm or more and smaller than 2 μm, and in the zeolite material which is comprised the honeycomb structure body, a ratio of a volume of pores having pore diameters of 0.02 to 0.15 μm to a volume of all pores is 42% or less.

The manufacturing method includes a step of mixing a coarse particle zeolite, a fine particle zeolite, and a raw material of an inorganic bonding material to prepare a zeolite raw material; a step of forming the prepared zeolite raw material into a honeycomb shape to prepare a honeycomb formed body; and a step of firing the prepared honeycomb formed body to prepare the honeycomb structure. In the step of preparing the zeolite raw material, as the coarse particle zeolite, a chabazite type zeolite having a specific average particle diameter, the fine particle zeolite having a specific average particle diameter, the raw material of the inorganic bonding material which includes at least basic aluminum lactate is used.

In a broad form the present invention relates to a method for oxidation of a species comprising sulfur in an oxidation state below +4, such as H.sub.2S, CS.sub.2, COS and S.sub.8 vapor, to SO.sub.2 said method comprising the step of contacting the gas and an oxidant with a catalytically active material consisting of one or more elements taken from the group consisting of V, W, Ce, Mo, Fe, Ca, Mg, Si, Ti and Al in elemental, oxide, carbide or sulfide form, optionally with the presence of other elements in a concentration below 1 wt %, at a temperature between 180° C. and 290° C., 330° C., 360° C. or 450° C., with the associated benefit of such a temperature being highly energy effective, and the benefit of said elements having a low tendency to form sulfates under the conditions, with the related benefit of an increased stability of the catalytically active material. The other elements present may be catalytically active noble metals or impurities in the listed materials.

Provided is a method for producing an aliphatic alcohol having 8 or more and 22 or less carbon atoms through hydrogenation of a fatty acid or a fatty acid ester using a catalyst, wherein the catalyst carries a catalyst metal on a support, (a) the catalyst contains one or more elements selected from Co and Cu as the catalyst metal, (b) the total pore volume of the catalyst is 0.05 mL/g or more, and (c) the volume of pores with a pore size of 0.1 μm or more and 500 μm or less is 50% or more of the total pore volume of the catalyst.

A porous material includes an aggregate in which oxide films are formed on surfaces of particle bodies, and a binding material that contains cordierite and binds the aggregate together in a state where pores are formed. The binding material or the oxide films contain a rare-earth component that excludes Ce.

A photocatalytic functional film has a structure of a substrate, a barrier layer and a photocatalytic layer stacked one on another. The barrier layer is an amorphous TiO.sub.2 film, the photocatalyst layer comprises an amorphous TiO.sub.2 film, and particles of visible light responsive photocatalytic material formed on the surface of the amorphous TiO.sub.2 film. A method for producing a photocatalytic functional film includes: adding an alcohol solvent and an acid to a titanium precursor to obtain a TiO.sub.2 amorphous sol by dehydration and de-alcoholization reaction; applying and drying the TiO.sub.2 amorphous sol on a substrate to form a barrier layer; and applying and drying a composition formed by mixing particles of visible light responsive photocatalyst material with the TiO.sub.2 amorphous sol on the barrier layer, to form a photocatalyst layer.

[Problem] Provided is an exhaust gas purification catalyst capable of exhibiting even higher exhaust gas purification performance without impairing Pd catalytic activity, and an exhaust gas purification system using the exhaust gas purification catalyst.

[Solution] Provided is an exhaust gas purification catalyst comprising a substrate and a catalyst layer provided on the substrate, said catalyst having a first section located upstream along a flow direction of the exhaust gas and a second section located downstream from the first section; the catalyst layer in the first section comprises a first catalyst layer comprising palladium and a second catalyst layer comprising rhodium and covering the first catalyst layer, wherein a pore volume proportion is 12% or more and less than 18% wherein the pore volume proportion is a proportion of a total volume of the pores, which have a pore diameter of 0.06 μm to 30.0 μm as measured by mercury press-in method and existing in the substrate and the catalyst layer in the first section to a volume of a entire first section; and a wash coat amount is 100 g/L to 190 g/L, wherein a wash coat amount is a mass per unit volume of the catalyst layer in the first section to the volume of the substrate existing in the first section.