Background: UCF researchers have developed a simple but significant improvement for porous media a critical component of internal combustion engines and the applications that rely on them with a catalyst enhancement to improve temperature conditions for more efficient fuel-burning. The new catalyst-coated porous media enables combustion of lean mixtures—fuels with a high percentage of air and a low percentage of fuel—which allows for fuel flexibility. This makes more energy per dollar possible since applications can burn low-calorific fuels that generate fewer harmful emissions. Simple efficient porous media minimizes environmental contamination and conserves energy resources without sacrificing performance. This porous burner technology is critical when generating power from thermoelectric devices small-scale heating and combustion of low-calorific value landfill-seepage gases. Technology Description: By coating porous media such as a high temperature ceramic comprising alumina and/or silicon carbide with perovskite catalysts—materials with a crystal structure ABO3—the temperature within the media can be 1) high enough to support heat and power applications while also 2) low enough for the catalysts to remain active and keep materials in the combustion chamber from degrading as they would at uncontrolled high temperatures. Applications: Internal combustion engines: water heaters gas stoves boilers portable generators
1) More efficient combustion 2) fuel flexibility: power from lean mixtures 3) Smaller equipment requirements 4) Little-to-no maintenance 5) No complicated control system needed 6) Less environmental contamination when burning low-calorific fuels