PERFORMANCE OF CATALYTIC AND NON-CATALYTIC FOAM CERAMIC ELEMENTS IN LOG WOOD STOVES

To meet the strict emission thresholds for log wood stoves foam ceramic elements (filters or catalysts) could be an alternative to electrostatic precipitators. To evaluate the potential of foam ceramic elements three differently aged foam ceramic filters and one retrofit foam ceramic catalyst were tested in a log wood stove applying a "close to real life" test cycle. Results show that foam ceramic filters without catalyst coating provide no appreciable emission improvement under practical conditions. When the foam ceramic was catalytically coated while having the same flow properties, the reduction effects were significant: -46 % for carbon monoxide (CO), -21 % for non-methane-organic gaseous carbon (non-methane OGC) and -10 % for particulate matter (PM). When operated in partial load the reductions were: -47 % for CO, -23 % for non-methane-OGC and -12 % for PM. No effect on NOx concentration was observed for any of the tested variants. Foam ceramic elements can reduce gaseous flue gas emissions (CO, OGC) from log wood stoves noticeably, if they have been catalytically activated. For general recommendation in real life applications this finding should however be verified in long term field tests.