They developed a small reactor to house the plasma reaction and quickly discovered that the packing material used in the reactor affected the chemical reaction. Those initial laboratory studies showed that the process reduced NO x by 70 percent. Laboratory tests also have shown the potential for significant soot reduction. The soot portion of exhaust consists of tiny particles of carbon and organics that are potentially harmful to human health. However, unlike gasoline engines, there is no technology that can sufficiently reduce nitrogen oxides in the lean burn exhaust typical of diesel vehicles.
Nitrogen oxides cause air pollution.
For example, our catalysts aren't poisoned by sulfur in the exhaust, which is a challenge for other catalytic technologies. It is also much more rugged and reliable. One surprising result has been the relative ease with which we have been able to move from the laboratory bench to actual engine testing. This gives us confidence in the soundness of our approach. Recent prototype reactor tests conducted on a diesel engine at DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory show a 50 percent reduction of NO x .