| abstract |
A method of burning a fossil fuel and air with the emmission of an exhaust gas consisting essentially of atmospheric gases, carbon dioxide and water vapor and essentially free of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitric oxide, which comprises burning the fossil fuel at a temperature between 1000 DEG C. and 1500 DEG C. with less than the stoichiometric amount of atmospheric oxygen required for complete combustion of the fossil fuel to yield a combustion gas containing uncombusted fossil fuel, partially combusted fossil fuel, water vapor, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and atmospheric nitrogen, said carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide being in the ratio of 100 parts carbon dioxide to between 1 and about 11 parts carbon monoxide; combining said combustion gas with a predetermined amount of an oxygen containing gas to give at least a 1% excess of the stoichiometric amount of oxygen for oxidizing the uncombusted and partially combusted fossil fuel and carbon monoxide; and passing the resulting mixture over a novel ceramic catalyst at a temperature between about 200 DEG C. and about 1000 DEG C. The usable heat energy of said combustion gas may be employed for work. The fossil fuel may also contain sulfur which is oxidized to sulfur trioxide by said catalyst in the presence of excess oxygen. |