Beginning early next year, Goteborg, Sweden-based Volvo Car Corp. will fit its newest car, the Volvo S80, with specially treated radiators that help reduce the ozone content of the air that passes through them. The technology was developed and tested together with Engelhard Corp., Iselin, N.J. Engelhard's PremAir catalyst system will convert as much as 75% of the harmful ozone that flows through the radiators into harmless oxygen. The purification effect on hot days and when the air has a high ozone content will partially offset the level of ozone production from the exhaust of a modern car equipped with a catalytic converter.
"We hope that other car manufacturers will follow our example," says Hans Gustavsson, senior vice president of Volvo Car Corp. "The car industry is currently developing cars with ever more effective exhaust emission control. Ozone-reducing radiators on all new cars in the future will help make urban air even cleaner."
