Honeycomb structure, method for manufacturing honeycomb structure, and exhaust gas purification system using honeycomb structure

An exhaust gas purification system for trapping/collecting/removing particulate materials containing carbon as a major component included in dust-containing fluids such as an exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine, the system comprising:

• a honeycomb structure containing a plurality of through channels extending to an axial direction of a honeycomb structure, porous partition walls separating through channels one another, and plugging portions;
• said plugging portion plugging predetermined through channels at one end and the rest of through channels at other end opposite to the plugged end of the predetermined through channels, wherein at least a part of predetermined crossing portions of the porous partition walls is discontinued to form a void portion in each of the predetermined crossing portions;
• and
• heating means for burning the particulate materials trapped/collected by the honeycomb structure to regenerate a filtering capacity thereof,
• wherein the void portion of the honeycomb structure has such a construction that the void portion is closed due to accumulated trapped/collected particulate materials during actual run, thus closed void portion is reopened by burning particulate materials accumulated by heating for the regeneration thereof, and at least some of unburnt materials such as ashes deposited in the honeycomb structure is discharged from the honeycomb structure together with a flow of dust-containing fluids, when the void portion is reopened.