Competence Centre for Catalysis

Research Project, 2006 – 2009

Competence Centre for Catalysis, KCK, is a four-year research program, which is financed by the Swedish Energy Agency, Chalmers University of Technology and the member companies: AB Volvo, Scania CV AB, Volvo Car Corporation AB, GM Powertrain Sweden AB, The Swedish Space Agency and Haldor Topsøe A/S. At Chalmers the Chemical Physics group, the Chemical Reaction Engineering group and the Applied Surface Chemistry group take part in the Centre. The vision is to create a better environment with catalytic techniques. The goal with the program is that KCK should be an interdisciplinary and internationally established research centre within the areas of catalysis for emission control and energy related catalysis. KCK shall have a high production of scientific papers and be an effective and attractive partner who initiates and performs projects together with the industry and other academic groups. Further KCK shall, within its defined field of activities, perform research within the whole spectra from fundamental research to commissioned research for the industry and for the public sector. One important task for the centre is to educate researchers who are attractive for the industry as well as for academia. KCK shall also in other ways contribute to transfer of knowledge between the university and the industry. The research in KCK is organised in three main programs. In the first program methods for reduction of nitrogen oxides in excess oxygen are developed. This is essential to improve the fuel economy for petrol-fuelled vehicles and to clean exhausts from diesel-fuelled vehicles. In the second program oxidation of e.g. hydrocarbons and particulate matter is studied. The third program aim towards catalytic techniques for sustainable energy systems. Except for the projects financed by the Swedish Energy Agency, KCK runs a number of projects with finical support from EU, the Swedish Research Council and other governmental institutions or from the industry. The broad financing broadens and deepens the activities of the centre.