GE and Umicore, which is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, announced on March 23 that they have successfully completed a technology transfer and signed an agreement to commercialize a proprietary Hydrocarbon Selective Lean NOx Catalyst (HC-LNC) aftertreatment designed to reduce and control diesel engine NOx (nitrogen oxide) emissions for various transportation and stationary applications.
Over the past year Umicore has reached key milestones in the development of the GE catalyst material in terms of production readiness, performance and durability. The two companies are now actively engaged in optimizing the commercial scale production of the material.
This new catalyst is an aftertreatment innovation capable of functioning with either diesel fuel or E85 biofuel as the reductant, providing an option to those segments of the marketplace seeking an alternative to urea-based SCR (selective catalytic reduction) technology.
Umicore, a provider of catalyst technology and global supplier to many global automakers and commercial vehicle manufacturers, will work with GE Global Research to offer the catalyst to customers in the off-highway and on-road vehicle segments, marine segments and stationary power markets.
The partnership with Umicore also complements GE's research and development efforts on emission-reducing technologies. In 2008, GE invested $1.4 billion on cleaner technology R&D, with a pledge to invest $1.5 billion on ecomagination R&D by 2010. R&D investment has reached a total of more than $4 billion since the ecomagination program launch. Similarly, as part of their mission to develop 'materials for a better life', Umicore generates approximately 50% of its revenues and spends approximately 80% of its R&D budget in the area of clean technology.
