EMISSION CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES

History of Johnson Matthey

1950-591950 – Dr. Arie Haagen-Smit of the California Institute of Technology identifies automotive exhaust emissions as a major cause of smog in Los Angeles. 

1955 – Congress passes Air Pollution Act 

1956 – British government passes Clean Air Act 

1959 – California becomes first to impose automotive emissions standards, requiring “blow by” valve to recycle crankcase emissions

1960-691960 – US Congress funds two-year public health study on air pollution from cars 

1961 – International Clean Air Congress held in London 

1963 – US Congress passes Clean Air Act 

1965 – The US Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act (amends the Clean Air Act) set the first federal emissions standards to control pollution from automobiles, beginning with 1968 models. The targets were met without catalysts. 

1969 – Johnson Matthey R&D to develop autocatalysts for 1970 US Clean Air Act

1970-79

1970 – In USA the Environmental Protection agency is formed, and Congress passes a major revision of the Clean Air Act. 

1970 – General Motors promises ‘pollution free’ cars by 1980 & urges the elimination of lead additives from gasoline in order to allow the use of catalytic converters. 

1971 – Johnson Matthey files a patent covering the use of rhodium promoted platinum catalysts to control NOx and gaseous organic compounds. 

1972 – Environmental Protection Agency announces all gasoline stations require to carry ‘unleaded’ gasoline 

1972 – Corning develops cordierite ceramics with high temperature and thermal shock resistance for catalyst monoliths. 

1972 – Johnson Matthey proves to the EPA that the US emissions regulations can be met using rhodium-platinum catalysts. 

1972 – Johnson Matthey & Ricardo demonstrate 1st catalyst-equipped car to meet US standards at 50,000 miles. First contract with Volkswagen. 

1974 – The first catalysts with 200 cells per square inch (cpsi) and walls 0.3 mm thick, are shipped to automotive manufacturers. 

1974 – Johnson Matthey production plants open in the UK (Royston) and USA (Pennsylvania) 

1975 – The first cars fitted with oxidation catalysts reach showrooms in the USA. Unleaded petrol is widely available. 

1976 – federal court says EPA has authority to regulate leaded gasoline. By June 1979 nearly half all US gasoline is unleaded. 

1976 – Johnson Matthey wins Queens Award for Technology for Three-way autocatalyst 

1976 – Japanese vehicle emissions standards come into effect. 

1977 – US Clean Air Act amendments agreed to tighten emissions standards further from 1981 onwards.

1980-891980 – National Academy of Sciences calls leaded gasoline the greatest source of atmospheric lead pollution. 

1980 –Johnson Matthey wins MacRobert award for three-way-catalyst development and commercialisation 

1981 – Three-Way-Catalysts (TWC) introduced to meet the strict new emissions standards under the amended Clean Air Act. 

Early 1980s – Vehicle emissions regulations introduced in Australia and Germany 

1983 – UK Government commits to introduce unleaded gasoline by 1990. 

1986 – EEC implements first exhaust emissions standards in 1988 

1989 – EC confirms new standards effectively mandating catalysts from January 1993

1990-941990 – VW launches Umweltdiesel Golf as 1st model world factory-fitted with diesel oxidation catalyst 

1990 – Johnson Matthey plant opens in Brussels, Belgium, to serve the EU market. 

1990 - Johnson Matthey files a patent for using NO2 to reduce the combustion temperature of diesel particulate matter in a filter system - the Continuously Regenerating Trap. 

1991 – New legislation introduced in Japan sets more stringent vehicle NOx emissions limits. 

1992 – First EU legislation introduced to restrict diesel emissions 

1992 – Johnson Matthey plant opens in Germiston, Johannesburg, South Africa 

1993 – EU emissions regulations that necessitate the use of catalytic converters (Euro 1)

come into effect. 

1994 – Phase in of Tier 1 emissions standards begins in USA 

1994 – Johnson Matthey opens plant in Queretaro, Mexico

1995-991995 – Johnson Matthey launches Continuously Regenerating Trap (CRT®) technology for controlling emissions from heavy-duty diesel vehicles 

1996 – EU emissions regulations tighten as Euro 2 standards are applied. Californian Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) standards come into force, emphasising the cold-start control of emissions. 

1996 – Johnson Matthey develops CRT® technology to meet emissions legislation for the light duty diesel market. 

1996 – Johnson Matthey opens plant in Nilai, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

1997 – Johnson Matthey opens plant in Pilar, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

1999 – National Low Emissions Vehicle (NLEV) standards take effect in the USA. 

1999 – Johnson Matthey new plant opens in Royston, UK 

1999 – Johnson Matthey receives Millennium Product Award for CRT® technology

2000-042000 – EU emissions standards for all road vehicles become more stringent with introduction of Euro 3 regulations. 

2000 – Johnson Matthey opens plant in Haryana, New Delhi, India 

2000 - Johnson Matthey awarded Royal Acadmeny of Engineering MacRobert Award 2000 for the development and commercialisation of the CRT® 

2001 – Johnson Matthey opens plant in Shanghai, China 

2002 – Honda Foundation Award – for autocatalyst development and the work contributed to this by Dr Barry Cooper. 

2003 – Strict particulate matter limits introduced for heavy duty diesel vehicles operating in the Tokyo area, requiring a substantial programme to retrofit catalyses particulate filters. 

2004 – Phase in of US Tier II emissions standards begins. Tier II compliant vehicles are up to 99% cleaner than vehicles sold in the 1960s. 

2004 – China introduces legislation equivalent to Euro 2 across the whole country 

2004 – Johnson Matthey starts production of autocatalysts in Kitsuregawa, Japan

2005-092005 – Japanese emissions standards for light duty vehicles introduced. Reduction in Particulate Matter required by 2009. 

2005 – Japanese emissions standards for heavy duty diesel engines introduced with full implementation by 2009. 

2005 – Euro 4 emissions standards for light duty vehicles are introduced. 

2006 – Phase-in of Stage III Euro emissions standards for non-road engines begins. 

2006 – Phase-in of Tier 3 US emissions standards for non-road engines begins. 

2007 – Phase-in period of US emissions standards for heavy duty diesel engines begins. 

2007 – Johnson Matthey announces plan to build two new catalyst plants in Macedonia and USA. 

2008 – New catalysed soot filter manufacturing plant opens in Royston. 

2008 – Johnson Matthey opens an autocatalyst facility in Korea – its fifth in the Asian Region. 

2008 – Johnson Matthey finalises the acquisition of autocatalyst company Argillon. 

2008 – Euro V emissions standards for heavy duty diesel engines are introduced. 

2008 – Phase-in of Tier 4 US emissions standards for non-road engines is introduced. 

2008 – Johnson Matthey is a finalist in the Royal Academy of Engineering’s MacRobert Award for its Compact Catalysed Soot Filter for light duty diesel engines. 

2008 – Euro 5 & 6 emissions standards for light duty vehicles are officially published. 

2008 – Johnson Matthey opens an autocatalyst plant in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. 

2005–08 – Euro 4 regulations and new Japanese standards will apply to new vehicle models and will require further substantial reductions in emissions of all major pollutants, particularly diesel particulate matter. Euro 5 regulations likely to be finalised: regulation of vehicle emissions in countries such as China, India and Russia will increase.

2009 – Johnson Matthey wins two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in both the Innovation and International Trade categories.

2010-20142010 – New emission control catalyst manufacturing facilities are opened in Macedonia, Smithfield in the USA and Shanghai, China. JM acquires Interact Inc, a supplier of speciality additives to the petroleum refining industry.

2012 – Emission Control Technology products appear in the Make it in Great Britain exhibition at the Science Museum in London. Held in the summer of 2012 the event celebrated the importance and success of British manufacturing.

2013 – Euro VI Heavy Duty Diesel emissions legislation is introduced.

2013 – Expansion of Johnson Matthey's facilities in Macedonia.

2014 – Euro 6 emission standards are introduced in September. 

2014 – Expansion of Johnson Matthey's facilities in Royston begins. 

2014 – Johnson Matthey wins the Queen's Awards for Enterprise in Sustainable Development. 

2014 – Johnson Matthey celebrates 40 years of autocatalyst production in Royston.

Manufacturing Sites

Johnson Matthey’s manufacturing sites around the world are dedicated to producing world-leading products for controlling emissions from mobile and stationary sources.

Technology Sites

Johnson Matthey’s Technology Centres around the world are dedicated to creating world-leading products for controlling emissions from mobile and stationary sources.

State-of-the-art equipment and analysis, along with unparalleled expertise in catalysis, is used within customer collaborations, generic catalyst development and contract testing operations.

Sustainability

Our emissions control products help contribute to sustainable development by improving air quality around the world.

Our own environmental policies and procedures are designed to meet or exceed relevant environmental legislation wherever our sites are located. We seek to minimize waste and reduce emissions from our own operations by efficient use of resources and using best available techniques.

It is our policy objective to have all production sites certified to ISO 14000 or 14001.

Johnson Matthey's Corporate Social Responsibility Review

Recycling

Recovering your Precious Metal Values

In order to make Precious Metal Catalysts viable, it is important that the PGM (platinum group metal) content is recovered and re-used, not only for their financial cost but for the sake of the environment.

With over 100 years of experience, Johnson Matthey is the largest global full-service refiner of PGMs in the world, representing the world's most comprehensive and advanced sampling and refining facilities available.

The advanced technology employed by Johnson Matthey maximizes precious metal recovery and ensures compliance with the most stringent environmental legislation. Johnson Matthey is ISO and NMAS accredited and is proud of the honest approach adopted in all aspects of every refining transaction.

No other company in the world has been as deeply involved in the evolution of innovative precious metal recovery processes. Our investments in upgrading our facilities and creating new technologies are testament to our commitment.

Technologies

Over the last 40 years, catalyst technology from Johnson Matthey has contributed to an amazing reduction in emissions from passenger cars.

Johnson Matthey’s CRT® system has been used to remove particulate matter from the exhaust of city buses further improving the air quality in cities. 

Catalysts are also used to clean gas streams from many industrial processes.  

 

Catalytic exhaust aftertreatment is being used on heavy duty diesel vehicles and on large and small engines in non-road applications.

 

Johnson Matthey offers catalyst technologies to control the full range of regulated emissions from vehicles, engines and stationary sources:

 

Technology Gasoline (petrol) / gas engines

Diesel / lean burngasoline engines

Chemical and industrialprocesses

2-way (oxidation) catalysts CO, HC CO, HC, PM CO, HC, VOC

3-way (NSCR) catalysts CO, HC, NOx   CO, HC, NOx

Selective catalytic reduction (SCR)   NOx NOx

NOx adsorber catalysts   NOx  

Diesel particulate filters   CO, HC, PM (diesel)  

4-way (combined) diesel systems   CO, HC, PM, NOx  

 

2-way (oxidation) CatalystsIn most gas streams, carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC) can be removed by combination with oxygen (O2) using an oxidation catalyst (also known as a 2-way catalyst):

 

CO + ½ O2 → CO2

[HC] + O2 → CO2 + H2O

This reaction is suitable for oxygen-rich (lean) gas streams, typical of diesel exhaust and emissions from many industrial processes. 

Many diesel particulate filter (DPF) systems incorporate an oxidation catalyst, either as a coating on the filter or as a separate element.

In diesel exhaust applications, oxidation catalysts may also achieve up to 30% reduction of particulate matter (PM) emissions.

NOx Adsorber Catalysts

NOx can be removed from a lean gas stream by chemical adsorption onto a catalyst, hence the term NOx adsorber catalyst (NAC). The process of adsorption releases CO2.

The NAC has a finite capacity for NOx but it can be regenerated by changing to a rich gas stream. Under these conditions, two reactions happen. First, the catalyst releases the NOx and is thereby regenerated. Then, the NOx is reduced to nitrogen.

 

What is a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF)?

A diesel particulate filter (DPF) removes particulate matter from diesel exhaust by physical filtration. The most common type is a ceramic (cordierite or silicon carbide) honeycomb monolith. 

The structure is like an emissions catalyst substrate but with the channels blocked at alternate ends. The exhaust gases must therefore flow through the walls between the channels and the particulate matter (PM) is deposited on the walls.

Other filter types are available, using sintered metal plates, foamed metal structures, fibre mats and other materials as the filtration medium.

The filtration efficiencies of diesel particulate filters is > 99% for solid matter. Since diesel particulate matter has a non-solid portion, the total efficiency for DPM is lower than this > 90%.

A variant on these systems is the partial filter. Partial filters are not designed to be 100% efficient. They can be designed to trap, for example, 60% of the particulate matter. The advantages are lower back pressure and a lower risk of blocking.

All particulate filter systems include some means of regeneration.

APPLICATIONS

Cars, Vans and Light Trucks

More than 90% of new passenger vehicles are now fitted with autocatalysts, one third of which have been supplied by Johnson Matthey.

The catalyst sits in the exhaust system, either near to the engine (close-coupled), or further down the tailpipe (underfloor). Harmful gases are converted to harmless products in a reaction with the precious metal-containing catalyst.

Gasoline or petrol fuelled vehicles typically use a three-way catalyst, so-called because it converts 3 pollutants, carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) to carbon dioxide, water and nitrogen. Conversion rates of over 90% are possible.

Diesel engines require a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) to remove CO and HC and can also reduce particulate matter (PM) by up to 50%. More effective PM removal is achieved with diesel particulate filter (DPF) systems.

Trucks & BusesJohnson Matthey offers products and technologies for the reduction of emissions from trucks and buses. We provide catalyst and systems technology to engine and vehicle OEMs. 

We also offer a range of retrofit solutions for the owners and operators of vehicles already in service.

 

 

The technologies offered for trucks and buses include:

 

for diesel - oxidation catalyst

CRT® system

SCRT® system

NOx  adsorber catalysts  (OEM systems only)

for CNG - oxidation catalyst

MARKETING STRATEGIES

1. Identifying segment specific diesel engine manufacturers in India viz. CVs, diesel PVs, off-highway vehicles, gensets etc.

(i) Focus on customer’s future plan.

(ii) Identifying new / existing development plans.

2. Conduct technical seminars / conferences to educate customers about emission reduction technology and products offered by Johnson Matthey.

3. Determination of total market for emission reduction products viz. DPF, NOx sensors ; volume of Diesel PV sales are currently 50% (Approx) of total PV sales. Expected to grow by 30-35% in FY 2015-16.

4. Capitalize on replicating applications using domestic and/or international references or patents.

5. Focus upon value engineering to pitch Johnson Matthey products against competitor’s.

6. Focus upon competitor activities / development at customers.

SWOT ANALYSIS

SWOT Analysis

Strength

1. Strong research and development oriented product management2. Great focus on Sustainability in its operation functions3. Acquired subsidiaries in Australia and New Zealand and JM acquired several businesses including printed circuit board operation increasing the portfolio4. Diversified revenue in terms of end-market and geography

5, Nearly 10,000 employees form a part of the expert workforce

Weakness

1. Unfunded employee post-retirement benefits may put pressure on the group's liquidity position2. Civil penalty allegation against the company has had a blow on the reputation

Opportunity

1. Battery business of the company is boosted by the Axion business2. Acquisition of Formox likely to strengthen JM's existing technologies for process catalysts3. Acquisitions improves the product portfolio of the company

Threats 1. The scare nature of the raw materials opens it to the risk of less

availability of raw material2. Risks associated with conducting business outside the UK3. Stringent norms associated with the patents