Egypt begins to manufacture ceramic filters clean up car emission, says expert CAIRO: The success of experts to locally manufacture ceramic filters that are fixed to vehicles' exhaust-pipes is likely to arouse hope in containing the pollution caused by cars countrywide, according to an Egyptian ceramics expert. Dr Salima Mohamed Naga, head of the ceramics department at the National Research Center in Cairo, revealed that the ceramics department's team has been able to make cost-effective ceramic filters from local material. "The project aimed at producing these filters, was financed by the Scientific Research and Technology Academy, said Naga, highlighting that the local filters are made according to the same specifications as their imported counterparts. "They are currently being tested, but the results so far are quite encouraging, noted Naga. She added: "The new device will be a significant environmental booster that, besides giving protection against a major pollutant, will also provide jobs for specialized technicians. Statistics show that in Cairo alone some 2.5 million cars crowd the streets, not to mention the large number of buses and trucks. The vehicles consume no less than 50 million liters of petrol a day. The resultant poisonous fumes, laden with carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons, are said to be the cause of 40 percent of cases of lung cancer and increase the possibility of developing other diseases that burden the country's scant medical services. "At first it was difficult to manufacture the filters locally because production depended on costly material like platinum and gold, elements that are necessary for oxidizing the gases emitted by the vehicles and turning them into environmentally-friendly components, says Naga. The filters, which look like honeycombs, are provided with the oxidants necessary for the conversion of gases. Since carbon monoxide only interacts with oxygen at high temperatures. A catalytic oxide is needed to cause this reaction at room temperature. Naga explained that most frequently used type of ceramic filter is the one known as the "double bed two-catalytic converter. This is fixed on the part of the exhaust pipe that is connected to the combustion engine. First it treats the nitrogen oxides, creating the oxidation that boosts the second process aimed at treating the carbon monoxide. The filters should be heat-resistant, mechanically-adaptable, transparent and catalyst-compatible, says Naga. "We are looking forward to manufacturing the device on a large scale so that traffic departments countrywide would oblige car-owners to use through directives from the ministry of environment. Even new vehicles are not free of these poisons, and, Naga warns, the effect of cars with old engines is "disastrous. In the West the use of ceramic filters started in 1960 and by 1989 all new cars produced by the US, EU, Canada and Japan were equipped with the device. In Egypt researchers began to take note of the issue in the early 1990s.
