Precise casting of biomorphic La0.9K0.1CoO3 catalysts derived from pinewood for diesel soot combustion

Abstract

Porous biomorphic La_0.9K_0.1CoO₃ catalysts were fabricated by the bio-templating method using tailored pinewood as the template and La_0.9K_0.1CoO₃ sol as the precursor. The specimens were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, FT-IR, EDX, and N₂-adsorption techniques. SEM and TEM results proved that the biomorphic cellular morphology of the initial pinewood structure was retained after heat treatment. The XRD and FT-IR results suggested a perovskite-type crystal structure for the microcellular catalysts. The generated catalysts possessed a relatively high surface area (147.97 m² g⁻¹) and porosity with a mean pore size of approximately 4–25 μm. The catalytic activity for the combustion of diesel soot was tested by a technique using a temperature-programmed reaction. The biomorphic La_0.9K_0.1CoO₃ exhibited better catalytic activity for diesel soot combustion at low temperature than the La_0.9K_0.1CoO₃ powders prepared from the same precursor sol due to enhanced contact efficiency between the soot and the catalysts, and the value of T₁₀ was about 340 °C.