Knock Down NOx: Can Urea Reduce Small Engine Pollution?

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective is to determine if urea can reduce small engine pollution. Methods/Materials A catalytic device was constructed using a soda can half filled with zinc-plated BBs. Granulated urea was dissolved in distilled water. A 2-stroke 100cc Go-Kart engine was smog inspected at a certified California smog station (control trial). The engine exhaust pipe was replaced with the catalytic device. The engine was again smog inspected while simultaneously spraying the urea solution into a small hole drilled on the side of the catalytic device (urea trial). Results At the most typical operating engine speed of 6000 RPMs, there was a 41.8% reduction in exhaust NOx concentration in the urea trial compared to the control trial. Conclusions/Discussion There was a significant reduction in the small engine exhaust NOx levels with urea. This proved my hypothesis that urea can effectively reduce small engine pollution. Small engines are a large source of environmental air pollution. Further development of this device could lead to a simple and effective way to reduce air pollution.

Competition history

• CSEF 2006 Applied Mechanics/ Structures & Mechanisms/ Manufacturing · Entry J0221

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