In this thesis, the experimental test facilities consisted of a well instrumented live Ford 2.0 litre turbocharged diesel engine connected to a specially made exhaust can, which contained a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC). Experiments were performed on DOCs, which were specially prepared by Johnson Matthey, and had thermocouples mounted in their walls to measure axial temperature profiles. These DOCs consisted of a Pt catalyst dispersed in an alumina washcoat on a cordierite monolith supports, and were representative of a commercial application. Experiments were performed on Full-scale DOCs (o.d. = 106 mm, length = 114 mm), and also on Thin-slice DOCs (length = 5 and 10 mm), which generate some interesting data, and enabled a technique that is normally only used in laboratory bench-top experiments to be applied to a live engine. A number of different methodologies were developed based on (a) the operation of the engine at pseudo-steady-state operating conditions, and (b) transient experiments (e.g. a pulse of CO was injected into the exhaust gas just before the DOC). For example, it was shown how experiments on a live engine can be used to explore: (a) the hysteresis between light-off and extinction curves, (b) how catalyst temperature rise during warm-up of a DOC, (c) the promotion effect that hydrogen has on the conversion of CO, (d) the extent of competition for active catalytic sites, e.g. between CO, THCs, propane or hydrogen. The main findings are: (a) the hysteresis between light-off and extinction curves are mainly caused by CO inhibition, (b) the promotion effect of hydrogen on CO oxidation is largely attributed to thermal effect, (c) LHHW form rate expression is not adequate for catalytic converter modelling under transient conditions, (d) the competition for active catalytic sites is not apparent at the test conditions performed in this thesis. Moreover, a number of case studies were also used to illustrate how the experimental results/techniques developed in this thesis, may be used to support modelling studies. iii

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The cell is the basic unit of all living organisms. It is an amazing machine capable of self-replicating, growing, and synthesizing and shuttling thousands of compounds. To perform all of these activities the cell needs energy. The original source of energy for all living beings is the Sun. The energy of the sun is collected by the autotrophs (mostly plants) through photosynthesis and stored in the chemical bonds of carbohydrates and lipids through carboxylic acid intermediates; animals use these compounds to obtain the energy for their cells. Most of the energy extracted by the cell comes from the citric acid cycle. Therefore, two crucial energy transfer checkpoints are photosynthesis and citric acid cycle. With growing need for energy, the limited supply of fossil fuel, and the search for a cleaner environment, scientists have turned to the Sun (directly or indirectly through wind, tides, biomass, etc.) to satisfy the needs of modern society trying to reach the dual Holy Grail of energy: harvesting energy through Artificial Photosynthesis and Low Temperature Biomass Oxidation. This work represents one more step toward reaching these Holy Grails. The core reagent used in our technique is ferritin. Ferritin recapitulates some of the essential features of a plant cell: it contains a semiconductor capable of charge separation, like chlorophyll, acts as a membrane to isolate compartments, and has an enzymatic activity that prevents charge build up and oxidative damage. The energy absorbed by ferritin from the artificial “solar” radiation is used to extract reducing equivalents from stable and partially oxidized compounds, mainly carboxylic acids. The energized electrons produced are then used for a number of technical applications, from synthesis of catalytically active nanoparticles, to reductive precipitation of contaminant heavy metals (i.e.: mercury), to hydrogen evolution.