Catalyst for oxidising ammonia

1. A catalyst article for oxidizing ammonia, the catalyst article comprising a composite heterogeneous extruded honeycomb having longitudinally extending parallel channels, which channels being defined in part by channel walls having a total longitudinal length, wherein the channel walls comprise a cellular ceramic and open pore structure including a periodic arrangement of porous cells, each porous cell defined by a cell wall comprising a catalytically active interface layer, with adjacent catalytically active interface layers being joined to one another to form the cellular ceramic and open-pore structure, wherein the cellular ceramic and open-pore structure is embedded in an inorganic matrix component, wherein

at least some of which porous cells are defined at least in part by a cell wall comprising a catalytically active interface layer of a catalytically active material comprising a precious metal supported on particles of a support material, and

wherein the inorganic matrix material is at least substantially free of the catalytically active material of the catalytically active interface layers.

2. The catalyst article of claim 1 , wherein the porous cells in the periodic arrangement are interconnected by windows between cells, which windows defining macropores.

3. The catalyst article of claim 1 , wherein the porous cells in the periodic arrangement are substantially not interconnected by windows between cells.

4. The catalyst article of claim 1 , wherein the support material for supporting the precious metal comprises ceria, titania, a crystalline molecular sieve, alumina, zirconia, a mixed oxide of ceria and zirconia or a mixture of any two or more thereof.

5. The catalyst article of claim 1 , wherein the supported precious metal is a platinum group metal, gold or silver.

6. The catalyst article of claim 5 , wherein the platinum group metal is platinum, palladium, or both platinum and palladium.

7. The catalyst article of claim 1 , further comprising an SCR catalyst provided in a washcoat coated on at least part of a total length of the channel walls.

8. The catalyst article of claim 1 , wherein the composite heterogeneous extruded honeycomb comprises a population of the porous cells embedded in the matrix, wherein the catalytically active interface layer comprise a mixture of an SCR catalyst and precious metal supported on a support material.

9. The catalyst article of claim 1 , wherein the porous cells embedded in the inorganic matrix comprises

(a) a first fraction of porous cells, wherein the catalytically active interface layer is a precious metal supported on a support material, the support material comprising ceramically bonded particles of the support material joined to one another via sinter bridges; and

(b) a second fraction of porous cells wherein the catalytically active interface layer comprises an SCR catalyst.

10. The catalyst article of claim 1 , wherein the SCR catalyst is a crystalline molecular sieve supporting a base metal promoter or vanadium compound supported on a support comprising titanium.

11. The catalyst article of claim 10 , wherein the crystalline molecular sieve is an aluminosilicate zeolite and the supported base metal promoter is copper, iron or both copper and iron.

12. The catalyst article of claim 11 , wherein the aluminosilicate zeolite has the MFI, BEA, CHA, AEI, FAU, AFX or ERI framework structure.

13. The catalyst article of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic matrix component comprises an alumina phase, a silicate phase, an inorganic fibre phase or a combination of any two or more thereof.

14. The catalyst article of claim 13 , wherein the silicate phase comprises a pillared clay and/or a diatomaceous earth.

15. The catalyst article of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic matrix component comprises 5 to 50% by weight of the catalyst.

16. The catalyst article of claim 1 , wherein the extruded honeycomb is in the form of a flow-through monolith.

17. The catalyst article of claim 1 , wherein the extruded honeycomb is in the form of a wall-flow filter.

18. The catalyst article of claim 1 , wherein the porosity of the composite heterogeneous extruded honeycomb is from 40 to 80%.

19. An exhaust system for an electrical power station or an internal combustion engine, which system comprising an inlet end and an outlet end and a device for introducing ammonia or a precursor of ammonia into an exhaust gas flowing in the exhaust system in the direction of the inlet end from the outlet end, wherein a catalyst article for oxidizing ammonia of claim 1 is located downstream of the device for introducing ammonia or a precursor of ammonia into an exhaust gas flowing in the exhaust system.

20. The exhaust system of claim 19 , further comprising a substrate monolith comprising an SCR catalyst disposed between the device for introducing ammonia or a precursor of ammonia into an exhaust gas flowing in the exhaust system and the catalyst article for oxidizing ammonia.

21. A vehicle comprising an internal combustion engine and an exhaust system of claim 19 .

22. The catalyst article of claim 1 , wherein the catalytically active interface layer is substantially free of the inorganic matrix material.

23. The catalyst article of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic matrix material is at least substantially free of any catalytically active material layer.

24. The catalyst article of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic matrix material comprises a second catalytically active material that is different than the catalytically active material in the the catalytically active material layer.